Staff
Weechi-it-te-win Family Services held its annual spring ceremony and Cultural Teaching Days this week on its new property in La Vallee.
This is one area where traditional teachings have not been lost, said one program director, so people came from surrounding First Nations’ communities, as well as from Minnesota and Thunder Bay, to participate in the ceremonies and learn from elders.
“A part of how we integrate things into us is not only by sitting and listening respectfully to our elders while they’re giving the teachings—and they always allow for the opportunity to ask questions, as well—but also actually experiencing the ceremony,” said Lori Flinders, director of Nanaadawewinan, which includes a number of community care services at Weechi-it-te-win.
This week’s events were the first on the new McTavish Road property, which was acquired May 1 for the Ganawendaasowin Assessment and Treatment Program.
Cultural Teaching Days is a chance for a younger generation to learn more about traditions they may not see in their day-to-day lives.
“I’m aware that there is a loss of language and culture among our young people,” said Roger Fobister Sr., interim cultural co-ordinator for Weech-it-te-win.
“So we need to make sure that we preserve what is there in our older generations, and make sure that transmission of culture and language takes place,” he stressed.
The three-day event began with the spring ceremony Monday morning.
Cultural teachings included the construction of a sweat lodge that afternoon, which involved a trip into the bush to gather the appropriate materials to construct it, as well as teachings on why each material was used.
Fobister then led a discussion yesterday surrounding clan (family) teachings, such as the importance of honouring one’s clan by knowing your clan name and colours, and through prayer, sweat lodges, and feasting with your clan.
Some cultural teachings were specialized for men or women, including a demonstration for women on how to wrap an infant in a tikinagan—a traditional baby carrier and cradle.
Elder Agnes Kabatay, who facilitated the tikinagan demonstration, quipped that tikinagan were used long before television and baby-sitters.
As well, they allowed babies to watch their mothers work, and so to learn through observation.
Flinders noted the La Vallee community was invited to share in the Cultural Teaching Days, and that she is promoting an open-door policy for community members with questions.
“We will have a sweat lodge on-site that we will use for healing,” she said.
“My goal as the director of the program is to make sure we build really good relationships with the community of La Vallee,” Flinders pledged.
“If they wanted to utilize that kind of healing, and they wanted to come and talk to us and participate, that’s why we’re having it open to everyone,” she reasoned.
