MNOOMINKEWIN 2023 FAQs
What should I bring?
While not required, participants may choose to bring:
- folding chairs or picnic blankets for your family
- refillable water bottle
- feast bundle: plate, bowl, cutlery
- skirt for Sunrise Ceremony
- hand drum or shaker
- takeaway containers in case of extra food
- beading, sewing, or other art to work on
What time does the Gathering start?
The Sunrise Ceremony will begin at 7am.
See full details of the day's schedule here.
What if it rains?
The day will run, rain or shine. Please dress for the weather.
We have rented a number of large tents which will provide shelter.
If there is lightening we will not go out in canoes to gather or plant Mnoomin.
Where will I park?
The majority of the Pow Wow Grounds will be Pedestrian-Only.
There will Accessible Parking, a Drop-Off area, and a shuttle running through Curve Lake continuously throughout the day from 9am - 6pm.
Please see this dedicated page for more information.
Can I use Public Transportation to get to Mnoominkewin?
The Link bus service will run for free between Trent University and the Curve Lake Community Centre.
The first run will leave Trent University at 7:30am.
The final run will leave Curve Lake First Nation Community Centre at 8:45pm.
See this dedicated page on our website for more information including the schedule.
What if I don't want my image recorded on photo or video?
Please let the volunteers at the Welcome Table know if you would not like your image to be recorded and shared after the Gathering on our website, on social media, and/or in promotional materials. The volunteers will let the photographer and videographer know if you do not want to be included in this.
Where do I go when I arrive?
Please sign in at the Welcome Table which will be under a tent just off the Main Arbour. The volunteers will orient you to the day and give you a ticket to enter in the Give Away Draw.
Why are there fireworks at Mnoominkewin?
Including a fireworks display at Mnoominkewin is a decision that has not been made lightly and the organizers acknowledge the environmental concerns connected with fireworks.
2023 marks the 100th Year Anniversary of the signing of the 1923 Williams Treaty. This Treaty brought 100 long years of oppression to our people. We experienced 6 generations of starvation, fear, disruption of intergenerational knowledge transmission, wiping clean of our culture, unjust incarceration, and persecution by the state.
Our rights to practice our traditional life ways and to eat our traditional foods are protected under the Canadian Constitution and by the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Yet, destruction of our sacred food, Mnoomin, continues daily as hundreds of motorboats in the Tri-Lakes rip up Mnoomin beds and pollute the waters with oil and gasoline.
The 100 Gun Salute Fireworks display is an artistic, non-violent way of experientially marking this somber anniversary. Spaced over 10 minutes, each of the 100 fireworks shells that will be deployed marks one year in our 100 year history of the Williams Treaty. During the display, participants will be invited to reflect on what this Treaty has meant in the lives of their families and on how to actively deconstruct the effects of the Treaty.
