Ojibway Elder Tells Of Turtles And Turtle Island

Apr 18, 2013

After listening to Ojibway Elder and Queen's University Professor Eileen (Sam) Conroy speak so passionately about turtles, it is hard to think of them as other than magnificent and magical creatures worthy of our care and respect.

Conroy, a retired teacher who currently works with the Ontario Arts Council teaching native arts in the schools, delighted guests and members of the Cloyne and District Historical Society with her storytelling prowess. I could not attempt to mention here all of the mesmerizing topics that she covered; suffice to say that most of her tales and tips focused on turtles, the creature whose name was given to this continent in her people's oral history and who ways are what keep our bountiful waters naturally fresh and pure.

Conroy, who lives on a farm near Madoc, has been a volunteer at the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre in Peterborough for many years and said that she has always loved turtles. She got involved with the centre, which is the only one of its kind in the province, after finding an injured painted turtle that had been hit by a car on the side of the highway. She took it to the centre in Peterborough and because she wanted to witness it healing, she volunteered to feed it every day. She has been volunteering at the centre ever since.

In her talk she spoke of the amazing abilities of turtles - how they clean the water, how snapping turtles can live to be 500 years old and how they carry with them throughout their lifetimes over 16,000 eggs. She said that this area is a haven for turtles but unfortunately last summer in a 100 metre stretch of wetlands just north of Kaladar, 105 dead turtles were found in one week after being struck by cars as they were trying to cross the road to lay their eggs. “ That,” she said, “is a sad fact”, but she added on a more positive note, “People in this area have taken the lead in allowing wild life to thrive here. They have not drained their wetlands and filled them in, which is a very good thing for turtles and why so many turtle species, even one of the most endangered, the Blandings turtle, thrives here.”

She said it is best to help turtles to cross the road by carefully picking them up and placing them down always in the direction they are heading. For the more feisty snappers, a shovel can be used to carry them across the road, again, always in the direction they are heading.

Conroy related her people's creation story of this continent, Turtle Island, how it came about following a flood and how the muskrat brought forth from the bottom of the deepest depths a tiny piece of soil that was laid on a sea turtle's back and eventually formed the continent. She spoke of Nanabozho, the teacher/trickster who gave the turtle its shell to cover its heart since it was so concerned about the well being of others by keeping the waters clean.

What exactly is it that makes Sam speak so enthusiastically and skillfully to groups and students about turtles and native traditional stories? "I think it's because I am beginning to have an understanding of how everything fits together; how the trees, the animals and plants and we are all part of something special and how we need each other and need to be respectful of each other. I want to make sure kids especially have an opportunity to learn about this when they are little so that they don't have to wait until they are my age to find out.”

Sam encourages anyone who finds an injured turtle to immediately contact the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre in Peterborough by phone at 705-741-5000. For more information about the centre and on the care and handling of healthy and injured turtles and their eggs visit the centre's website at www.kawarthaturtle.org