OUR CULTURE
The Maanjidowin of Mississauga
Historic Aboriginal portraits put on display by Canadian Museum of Civilization
First Nations attend healing camp in proposed World Heritage Site area
The Maanjidowin of Mississauga
The “coming together” of cultures, the “gathering” of individuals, the Maanjidowin of the people.... Such phrases come to mind as the July 17, 18 Festival approaches. Maanjidowin is the Ojibwa word for “gathering”. Maanjidowin celebrates over 200 Years of history in Mississauga.
The theme of this year’s event is “Friendships that Transcend Time”. The event bridges the past with the current and provides an excellent opportunity for residents of the Region of Peel, of all cultures to participate in an event that brings people together in an inclusive way. It’s our Friendship Festival linking “What was” with “What’s to come”.
Our partners include the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, Credit River Métis Council, Peel Aboriginal Steering Committee through the Region of Peel, City of Mississauga, The Ontario Trillium Foundation, City of Brampton, Peel District School Board and the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board. The Festival will also welcome many special guests including Chief Bryan LaForme, Mayor Hazel McCallion, officials from the Métis Nation of Ontario and political leaders at various levels of government in the community.
From sunrise to sunset, the Maanjidowin takes over Misssissauga. This free, fun-filled, family event will transform J.C. Saddington Park in Port Credit, just south of the lighthouse, on Saturday July 17, 2010. Native, Métis, Inuit and Pioneer re-enactors will entertain. There will be a sunrise ceremony, traditional Pow Wow, Métis fiddlers and jiggers, Inuit Throat Singers, marketplace, teaching circles, demonstrations, artists, and children’s circle. Foods such as Venison Sausage, Bison Burgers and Strawberries reflecting our traditional land use will be enjoyed as we share these two days of Aboriginal celebration.
Heritage Mississauga is a not-for-profit charity whose mission is to research, record and communicate Mississauga’s heritage. We are a strong partner in the development of programs to further awareness of Aboriginal heritage in our community. The partners are committed to making this annual event the preeminent Aboriginal celebration within Southern Ontario.
For more information about the Maanjidowin Native Pow Wow and Métis Rendezvous and the schedule of events visit www.Heritagemississauga.com and visit us at the Robinson-Adamson Grange, 1921 Dundas St. W. There is no admission fee for this event, so bring all your friends, family and neighbours and make this community event one to remember.
Historic Aboriginal portraits put on display by Canadian Museum of Civilization
In 1710, Queen Anne commissioned portraits of four Aboriginal emissaries from North America.
The four, members of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquoian) and Algonquian Nations, had travelled to England with British colonial representatives who hoped to obtain an alliance with First Nations against France in the battle for control of North America.
To commemorate the 300th anniversary of the historic visit, the Canadian Museum of Civilization is displaying the famous oil paintings in the summer exhibition ‘Four Indian Kings’: War and Diplomacy in 1710, along with related historical information.
The full-length portraits are a valuable record of early cultural and political diplomacy between Aboriginal peoples and the British, the museum says.
“The exhibition shows that the Aboriginal diplomats, far from being passive actors in the meeting with Queen Anne, were in fact active and astute negotiators.”
The four portraits of Tejonihokarawa, Sagayenkwaraton, Onigoheriago and Etowaucum were painted by artist John Verelst in a style reserved for royalty and heads of state. In recognition of their special status, the British called the men “Indian kings.”
The government of Canada acquired the works in 1977 from a private collection. The exhibition, developed with Library and Archives Canada, runs until September 6. A subsequent planned tour will include a stop at the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford, Ont.
First Nations attend healing camp in proposed World Heritage Site area
While 15,000 people gather in Winnipeg, Manitoba for the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission Conference, small float planes took First Nation Elders to a secluded corner of the Manitoba boreal forest to a traditional healing camp. For some it was their first visit to Weaver Lake Healing Camp, for others it’s part of a 10-year journey to heal and renew relationships with their culture and the land their ancestors have called home for thousands of years.
Elders and members from four First Nations communities bow their heads in prayer in the first day of the Weaver Lake Healing Camp in the Manitoba boreal forest - part of a proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Photo: Hidehiro Otake
Poplar River First Nation who has set aside some of its traditional territory for a proposed World Heritage Site, developed the healing camp 10 years ago. The community has hosted hundreds of Elders, children, youth and families at the isolated lake bringing them in by boat or float plane for a week at a time. Seed money for the camp originally came from residential school survivors funding through the Aboriginal Healing Foundation.
“The Weaver Lake Healing Camp is a very real example of how we can heal our communities on the land,” said Poplar River’s Sophia Rabliauskas, who is spokesperson for the Pimachiowin Aki Corporation the group leading the efforts to have the area designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“We know that the best way to heal is to return to the land. We call this area Pimachiowin Aki, which is Ojibwe for the “land that gives life,” because we know the birds, the fish, the animals, the trees and the clean air give us life. And that it can also heal people,” says Rabliauskas from Weaver Lake.
The Elders will spend time inside a large teepee erected in the middle of camp, surrounded by several canvas tents. They will share ancient stories about The Creator, traditional medicines that still grow on the land, participate in healing ceremonies and talk about how a future World Heritage Site could
help preserve the land for future generations.
“If we are successful in getting a World Heritage Site it will benefit people who have lived on the land for generations. It will also help people across Canada and around the world that will want to come here to visit the land, meet the people, learn about our past and be a part of the future by helping us take care of the land,” said Rabliauskas.
The First Nations of Poplar River, Pauingassi, Little Grand Rapids, Bloodvein River in Manitoba and Pikangikum First Nation in Ontario are leading the effort to have a vast track of land straddling the Manitoba-Ontario border designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Manitoba and Ontario governments are also members of the non-profit corporation and have included two provincial parks – Atikaki Park and Woodland Caribou Park in the proposed World Heritage Site. Pimachiowin Aki’s efforts are supported by Parks Canada and the International Institute of Sustainable Development.
Pimachiowin Aki’s bid to UNESCO is being researched and written this summer and will be submitted in 2012.