Marcie Webster teaches Hinchinbrooke PS students how to play Dox-en-Eye

In celebration of National Aboriginal Day and also marking the end of this year's Aboriginal Education Program called the Story Telling Project, which was run is six local area schools, the Strawberry Moon Festival held at St. James Catholic School on June 24 was the final foray for students into the wealth of traditional Algonquin culture that thrives in the Sharbot Lake and surrounding areas.

The year-long program funded by the Limestone District School Board was run this year at Prince Charles, Land O' Lakes, Clarendon Central, Sharbot Lake and Hinchinbrooke public schools, as well as at St. James Catholic School.

Marcie Webster, Algonquin, and the Aboriginal program coordinator at the Child Centre in Sharbot Lake, has been running the program for the last three years. During regular monthly visits to the schools she presented various aspects of Algonquin culture: the language, the legends, story telling, and games, to name a few.

“I tried to base the monthly themes on their prior existing knowledge so, for example, on Earth Day, I spoke about Mother Earth. Earlier in March I taught them the legend of Maple Moon, which ties in with their section on maple syrup making.

Marcie is a firm believer in the importance of making the learning experience as “real” as possible for young students and she strove to present the materials in a sensorial way so that youngsters would go away from the experience with a deeper, more direct and more memorable experience.

This idea was carried over to the festival where a group of local Algonquin residents, many dressed in ceremonial attire, set up four stations and shared their specific skills with the student who rotated around to each station.

Mitch Shewell and Alison Ferrant told traditional Algonquin stories such as the Naabooze (pronounced Nanabush) Story and sang traditional songs, Wishi Ta and the Water Song; Dwight and Bev Beattie demonstrated traditional animal woodcarving; Danka Brewer told the Forgiveness Story about two brothers who become reconciled after a bitter disagreement; Marianne and Anna Marie Wilson prepared and served bannock while outside Marcie taught the children how to play a traditional Haida game called Dox-en-Eye.

Later, each school made a presentation based on what they learned throughout the program, which included songs, skits, and short dramas. Marcie presented a Miigwetch Bundle to Mrs. Putnam from Hinchinbrooke PS who was recognized for “going beyond her call of duty” by enriching the program with her own research and extra classroom activities.

For Marcie, the program is an important one and one that she is passionate about. “We have a lot of aboriginal people in the schools and whether they know it or not, I just think it’s good for all children to learn these aboriginal traditions. Also the school is required to teach it and I think some teachers who may not be familiar or comfortable with the material enjoy the fact that I can come in and present it to the students. I'm also really happy that teachers are coming out and asking aboriginal people how to effectively and sensitively teach culture in the classroom.”

Pow Wow dancers l-r: Cory Holtz, Jordon Bilow, Josh Beaver, Jaida Ponce and Asia Reid

On September 4 & 5, visitors gathered for the 7th annual Ardoch Algonquin First Nation’s Pow Wow. Paula Sherman, Ardoch’s Co-chief, explained that the festival has been named the Manoomin (rice) festival since the Ardoch community is closely associated both physically and spiritually with rice. It was the second year that the festival has included Manoomin workshops and on Sunday a large group gathered in the Clar-Mill Hall to listen to Bob Lovelace's teaching about the Rice Wars that occurred in 1979-1980 in Ardoch, in which he and AAFNA’s Honourary Chief Harold Perry played an instrumental part.

Mitchell Shewell of Sharbot Lake emceed the festival, which included drummers and dancers from as far away as Peterborough, Alderville and Toronto. Mitch's 15-year-old daughter Cory was the female head dancer at this year’s festival.

Danka Brewer and Alison Ferrant led a number of women in hand drumming songs, including a welcoming song called Hui Quando Dey, and another called Endayan, which translates in English to “home” and celebrates the idea of the home within the self, within the community and within the Ardoch First Nation. The song originated in a women's shelter for battered and abused women. Lastly, they sang Anishinaabe Kwe, a song celebrating native women.

Non-Aboriginal visitors to the festival can always trust that they will come away having learned something new about Aboriginal culture. For me this time it was Bob Lovelace's teaching that when it comes to hunting, planting and really any undertaking that one is involved with, it is perhaps equally if not more important to consider what one leaves behind as well as what one takes away.

The Perth campus of the Ottawa-based Algonquin College houses only 300 compared to almost 18,000 full-time students at the main Algonquin college campus in Ottawa. It offers nine programs compared to hundreds at the larger campus. But that does not mean the students at the Perth campus are of less concern to the college or receive less training.

Three of the programs at the Perth campus are unique to the college, and unique to Ontario. The courses are all related to the building industry, and they are the reason the Perth campus of the college is called a Heritage Institute.

One is a course in Carpentry and Joinery that combines new construction technology with traditional carpentry techniques. Another, the Advanced Housing course, focuses on the theoretical and practical aspects of energy-efficient, environmentally-responsible and healthy housing. The third is the Heritage Masonry program, which prepares students for both residential and commercial construction as well as work on heritage restoration projects.

Although the programs look backwards at the way things were built in the past, the future is bright for graduates of the programs. “The only reason we do not have 100 per cent job placement for graduates from these three courses is that a few of our graduates choose to do something else,” said Andrew Edmonson, the marketing manager for the Perth Campus of Algonquin College.

In fact, students in the Heritage Masonry course tend to be offered jobs long before they graduate from the intensive 45-week course.

“The average age of masons in Canada is about 60, and the traditional skills are very much in demand. The restoration of the Parliament buildings, which will run for another 10 years, will provide jobs for all of our graduates if they want them,” said Edmonson.

The advanced building course includes, as part of the curriculum, the construction of a building, which gives it a unique niche for building trade training.

While the construction courses have always been popular, places are available for those who apply and qualify, particularly in the masonry course, which is not completely full. “The message we want to get out to people interested in learning these skills is that we have a state of the art facility, top teaching professionals, and are offering a real opportunity for students to learn and enter into a viable profession as soon as they graduate,” Edmonson said.

One of the other features of the Perth Campus is the three-year-old main building, which was designed to meet LEED Gold standards, and provides a comfortable environment for study.

There are six other programs of study available at the Perth campus, including: Early Childhood Education (ECE), Office Administration (General and Executive), Personal Support Worker, Social Worker, and Police Foundations.

The campus offers intensive 45-week courses in Office Administration (Executive) and Early Childhood Education, enabling committed students to complete a two-year diploma program in a short time period provided they are willing to put the effort into doing two years of work in a shorter time frame.

Shelley Carter-Rose, who has been the dean at the Perth Campus for 18 months, says that the size of the Perth Campus is ideal for many of the students. “They are able to get support from staff as needed here, and we are small enough to deal with each other on a first-name basis most of the time,” she said.

That point was made as well by a number of the students who came forward to talk about their programs on the media day.

There is also a continuing education component to the campus, with interest courses available to the general public in a variety of subjects, from using computers to photography, sewing, and even wine appreciation. For further information call 613-267-2589 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Photo: Map of the Algonquin Landclaim showing proposed provincial park surrounding Crotch Lake in North Frontenac Township.

With the release of the Agreement in Principle (AIP) for the Algonquin Land Claim, some details have emerged and some previously released information has been confirmed.

In term of gross numbers, the AIP carries the promise of a land transfer of not less 117,500 acres of land and a payout of $300 million.

Any outstanding loans owed by the Algonquins of Ontario to the federal government will be deducted from the settlement figure. The money will not go to individual bands or communities, but will be held in trust by a central Algonquin body, based in Pembroke.

The land settlement includes 200 separate parcels, ranging from a few acres to 30,000 acres, and a number of parcels of Crown land in Frontenac, Lanark and L&A Counties are included.

There is also a proposed provincial park included in the land claim, which encompasses the vast majority of the land surrounding Crotch Lake in North Frontenac. It appears that the park would be accessed from Road 509, at a location between Robertsville Road and Mississippi Station.

Of those land parcels, a number are located on lakes with road access. Among the largest parcels in Frontenac Addington is one north-west of Denbigh between Trout, Spring and Barnard Lakes.

Another large piece is located just north of the borders of Bon Echo Park in the vicinity of Machesney and Fermoy Lakes. Just north and east of that location, straddling to the east side of Hwy. 41, is another substantial parcel in the vicinity of Irvine Lake.

In Addington Highlands, there are also two pieces on Upper Mazinaw Lake, one on Brown’s Lake, and one on Little Mallory Lake.

In North Frontenac, there is a parcel surrounding Proudfoot Bay on Fortune Lake, one between Buckshot and Brule Lakes, one at the east end of Mississagagon Lake, one straddling Shawenegog and Sand Lake, a smaller and a larger piece on Norcan Lake, and three small pieces on Crotch Lake, among others,

In Central Frontenac, there is a large piece in between Bell Line and Burke Settlement Roads, encompassing Beaver Lake, smaller pieces on Silver and White Lake, pieces on Leggat and Eagle Lakes, and two on 5th Depot Lake.

In South Frontenac all of the proposed Settlement Lands, as the parcels are being called, are located in the Bedford District. There is a piece of land in the former hamlet of Bradshaw, and a larger piece straddling Crow Lake and Mud Bay on Bobs Lake, as well as three other smaller pieces on Bobs Lake, a piece on Lee Bay of Wolfe Lake, and one on Parkers Bay of Devil Lake.

In western and northern Lanark County, there are parcels on upper Park Lake, Joes Lake, several on White Lake.

Among the landlocked sections is one rectangular lot on Highway 7 that has already been earmarked as a home base for the Shabot Obaadjiwan, one of the nine off-reserve communities that are represented on the Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) negotiating team.

The Agreement in Principle includes a section that grants the AOO the right of first refusal on the White Lake Fish Hatchery, which is located on Highway 7 near the Shabot Obaadjiwan parcel.

On page 44 of the draft agreement, under section 5.3B, this offer is discussed. It says that the facility and surrounding land will be offered to the AOO under a number of conditions, the first being that “the facility and lands are no longer required for program purposes.”

The agreement does not say that the province is planning to vacate the facility; it only says that if it decides to do so, the AOO will have the first crack at purchasing it.

All lands that are transferred will be treated as privately held lands, and will be subject to municipal taxation, local zoning bylaws and the Ontario Building Code.

There are few, if any details available about the proposed provincial park at Crotch Lake, except an acknowledgement that this is something the provincial government is considering and that the AOO will be involved in the development of the park.

The agreement also says that beneficiaries will include all those who can demonstrate direct lineal descent from an Algonquin ancestor, and has a present day cultural or social connection with an Algonquin collective.

The agreement, which is over 100 pages long, includes details about how people who may be affected by the transfer will be protected, as well as details about a ratification vote, which is expected to take place in 2013.

If ratified, the AIP will form the basis for a formal agreement, which could take a further five years or more to negotiate.

Information about the AIP is available at Aboriginalaffairs.gov.on.ca, by clicking on the Land Claims tab on the left hand side of the page, and clicking on Algonquins of Ontario at the bottom of the subsequent page.

This question has been asked throughout time in various contexts across cultures.

Now it is going to be asked of the local Algonquin Community.

Queen’s University Cultural Studies PhD student, Ian Fanning, has been engaged in questions of masculinity for the past few years of his academic career.

In May 2010, Ian graduated with his Master of Theological Studies (MTS) degree from Queen's School of Religion and in August 2011 he completed his Master of Arts (MA) in Religion and Modernity degree at Queen's. Ian was accepted into the PhD Cultural Studies program at Queen's University and has engaged the first year of the program. His main academic interests are religions and masculinities, ritual and rites of passage theory, male initiation and indigenous masculinities.

“I first became interested in the study of masculinity while completing my MTS at Queen’s. I began looking at the lack of rituals for men in the Church. During my MA, I moved into the study of ritual theory and rites of initiation for men and how these rites are nearly extinct in our society today. But with most scholars complaining about the decline of male ritual, not many are willing to do much about it. So, I began looking at practical alternatives for men today, and eventually I was drawn to the study of Indigenous Masculinities,” he said.

In the second half of his MA, he enrolled in a course entitled “Carrying the Burden of Peace”: Exploring Indigenous Masculinities Through Story.” The course was offered by Dr. Sam McKegney, who is now the supervisor of Ian’s doctoral work. McKegney said, “Sam has conducted brilliant work on Indigenous Masculinities. I’m thrilled to be working with him. His most recent work on this topic is scheduled to be published in a journal at Oxford.” Under the guidance of Dr. McKegney, Ian has now embarked on a study of Algonquin masculinity in the Sharbot Lake area.

Ian learned of his Algonquin heritage a few years ago, but admits he is unversed in Algonquin ways.

“My Algonquin heritage comes from my grandmother England’s side of the family, but I am just beginning to learn Algonquin practices and expressions. This will no doubt be a lifelong commitment. I think the way that many indigenous men live can teach settler men important lessons about community, self-respect and care for Turtle Island. I am specifically interested in assessing the current state of male initiation rites among Algonquin men and the degree to which these rites have been affected by colonial interventions,” he said.

Ian has been helped in his research by Chief Doreen Davis, who has spoken with him and provided strong research leads and contacts. Ian is eager to talk to Algonquin individuals who wish to provide input into his research, and encourages them to contact him at Queen’s at 613-533-6690 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. “Indigenous men, particularly Algonquin men, have a sacred story to tell that has not been truly heard for some time. It is truly a privilege to be present as this valuable story is finally retold to people who are beginning to recognize and understand its value!”

Ian studies and works at Queen’s University. He resides in Verona where he and his wife are raising their three young children. He is the grandson of local Sharbot Lake residents, Robert and Doreen England.

Photo: Lynne James with students Ashlee Redmond, Lauren Desarmia, Rose James and St. Clair School principal Mark Millan present "Searching for Tom" at Barrie Hall in Cloyne.

Students unearth Harrowsmith connection in Tom Thomson’s mysterious death

Sometimes it takes the minds of curious youngsters to shed new light on some very well trod ground. That was the case for a group of nine students from St. Clair School in Kingston, whose project last year on the mysterious death of famed Canadian wilderness landscape painter Tom Thomson, which was titled “Searching for Tom”, won them a gold medal at the Kingston Regional Heritage Fair in May 2011.

Three of the nine students and their former school principal at St. Clair, Mark Millan, presented their project at the Cloyne and District Historical Society's (C&DHS) AGM at Barrie Hall in Cloyne on April 16.

To this day Thomson's demise (photo right) on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park on July 8, 1917 remains a mystery. It was on that day that his signature slate grey canoe was found overturned in the middle of Canoe Lake. His badly decomposed body was recovered eight days later with 17 strands of copper fishing line wrapped around one of his legs and there was a significant gash on the left side of his head.

Accidental drowning is listed as the official cause of his death, but suicide was also suspected since the artist was known for fits of melancholia. There are also multiple murder theories. One is that he was murdered by poachers in the park, and there is a second theory that Martin Blecher Jr., a regular summer resident at the park who was known to be jealous of Thomson's relationship with Winnie Trainor (who some think was carrying Thomson’s child at the time) killed him.

What do the students think? Manslaughter. It was through in-depth research at the Queen’s University archives that the students unearthed new information about J. Shannon Fraser, postmaster and proprietor at Mowat Lodge on Canoe Lake, who they believe was responsible for Thomson's death. Their information prompted a letter from author Roy MacGregor to principal Mark Millan. MacGregor has written a book about Thomson called Northern Light, which also alleges that Fraser is the prime suspect in Thomson's death, and his letter to the principal states that the students’ findings were “all new information to him and represented new original research important to the Shannon Fraser file."

Just what did they find out about J. Shannon Fraser? First, that he was born in Harrowsmith in 1883 to Skyler, a labourer, and Annie (Ferguson), a weaver. The couple moved to Kingston and lived at 217 and 277 Earl Street. Fraser married Annie Stewart from Westbrook, ON in 1903 and they had a daughter, Mildred. The three would all come to know Tom Thomson at Canoe Lake years later. Fraser lived at 105 and 119 Lower Bagot Street in Kingston before ending up at Canoe Lake as the postmaster and proprietor at Mowat Lodge with his wife Annie.

Why and how do the students think Fraser was involved in Thomson’s death? They believe that the night before Thomson died, he and Fraser had argued about a debt Fraser owed to Thomson. They also believe that Fraser could have been encouraged by Winnie Trainor's father, who may have been trying to persuade the painter not leave his daughter. Thomson was apparently planning to head out west to paint in the Rockies.

Student Ashlee Redmond explained that theory in the presentation. “It is thought that Tom and Fraser had a heated exchange, with Fraser pushing Tom into the hearth of the fireplace where Tom likely fell and hit his head on an andiron, which caused his death and accounted for the gash on his head.”

The students’ theory is based on a confession that Fraser's wife Annie reportedly made to her friend Daphne Crombie, that she and her husband Shannon had dragged Tom's body to the lake. In part of their research the students quote Crombie, who 60 years later, on January 4, 1977, stated in an interview with Algonquin historian Ronald Pittaway, that “she (Annie Fraser) never told me lies, ever.”

The students feel that this is the most likely explanation of what happened to one of Canada’s best-known painters.

The mystery, however, continues and the subject has been recently unearthed again with the recent news of a new Thomson painting that was bought for $50 at a flea market in B.C. The sketch-style painting, thought to have been painted in 1915 from his canoe in Algonquin Park, is estimated to be worth anywhere from $150,000 to $200,000. Further information uncovered by the students shows that a B.C. connection to Thomson's work is not so unusual. Their research at Queen’s University archives shows that the Frasers’ daughter Mildred married Arthur Victor Biggs in 1922, eventually moved to B.C. and had a son, Lorne, who is still alive and who reportedly lived in B.C. until just one year ago. So the plot thickens, as they say, and the theories continue.

In the meantime Tom Thomson's name and paintings (Photo right, West  Wind by Tom Thomson) will forever be enshrined in the Canadian imagination and now there is a possible connection to the village of Harrowsmith, the birthplace of J. Shannon Fraser. The “Searching for Tom” project will be on display at the Cloyne Pioneer Museum, which opens on Saturday, June 23.

Following the students’ presentation, NAEC teacher, painter, photographer, graphic designer and writer Katie Ohlke also made an equally compelling presentation about her forays into Algonquin Park last summer, where she followed in the footsteps of Tom Thomson and discovered many of the exact sites where certain of his works were painted.

In other C&DHS news, On May 19 at 9 a.m. the Pioneer Museum will be holding its annual garage sale at Barrie Hall.

Algonquins are not being asked for a $350 “one-time registration fee” from their leadership in order to be members of Algonquin communities. Nor does membership bring eligibility for a $10,000 land claim bonus, free dental care or “full Indian status”

A letter, written in the name of Robert Potts, Chef negotiator for the Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) in their ongoing land claims negotiations with the Ontario and Canadian governments, was received by a small number of members of the Shabot Obaadjiwan, Mattawa, and Pembroke Algonquin communities. It was also circulated more widely via email, which is how it came to the attention of the Frontenac News late last week.

At first glance it resembles other communications sent out by Potts and the AOO in recent years. It contains the AOO logo and purports to be an update on the state of land claim negotiations. It is titled “Algonquin Negotiation Representatives AIP/Treaty negotiations with the governments of Canada and Ontario” and says “Dear Elector” beneath that.

It goes on to ask for the “nominal one time fee of $350” and then makes promises of cash, land, housing, tax-exempt status. It also says that anyone who does not join up will no longer be covered by hunting agreements that member communities have negotiated with the Ministry of Natural Resources.

“The letter is fraudulent” said Shabot Obaadjiwan Chief Doreen Davis even before I asked her about it when she picked up the phone on Tuesday morning. “We heard about while we were having a meeting in Mattawa last week. The last thing we would do is chase people for money. We are not promising people money either; the land claim is all about the future of our communities.”

She said that the matter has been turned over to the OPP to investigate.

For his part, Robert Potts thinks the letter may have been sent by someone who opposes the land claim.

"If you really want to get down to it, what's happening is that we're getting closer and closer to what we think will be an AIP [Agreement in Principle] of some consequence for everybody, and I think what's happening here is you're seeing some folks who are just desperate not to see any change trying to subvert and destabilize. That's not surprising, if you take the people who might be doing it, but it's really sad...what it really comes down to, (is) that you can't have an open debate and discuss meaningful matters in a conscientious way as opposed to using all kinds of dirty tricks like this,” he said in an interview that was published in the Daily Observer, a Pembroke-based newspaper.

The Ontario Algonquin Land Claim has been in various stages of negotiation for 20 years and there have been a number of changes in the way the Algonquin communities have been identified and have selected their representatives to the land claims process over those many years.

A number of individuals and communities have opted out of the process over the years, such as the Ottawa Algonquins under Paul Lamothe, and locally, the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation.

Photo: The Nelson family dancers (with Riley Brooks), l-r, Nakita, Tammy, Riley Brooks, Bernard (head male dancer), Shemia, and Keesha, (head female dancer).

On August 27 and 28, close to 1000 people gathered at the shores of Silver Lake for the 17th annual community Pow Wow, which is put on jointly by members of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities in the area.

Traditionally held to trade the four sacred medicines- cedar, sage, sweet grass and tobacco, as well as to carry on commerce and match making, Pow Wows are now held primarily as a way for Aboriginal friends and family to meet.

The event attracted members from the Shabot Obaadjiwan and Ardoch Algonquin First Nations, members of the Akwesasne Reserve, and many others too numerous to mention. Highlights of the weekend events included the new dancers at the dance out ceremony, honours songs sung for community members in the military who are currently serving abroad.

As always there was feasting on traditional native foods plus a variety of native crafts available for purchase. The drumming, songs and dances performed at the Pow Wow are undertaken as forms of prayers. Pow Wow emcee, Mitchell Shewell of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation, stressed the important place that prayer takes at a traditional Pow Wow . “When we dance, it is a prayer for all of those people who cannot dance, those in hospitals, in institutions, or in jails as well as for those with physical disabilities.”

I met up with a family of dancers, the Nelson family, of the Port Hope and Nippising First Nations, who were making their way to the Pow Wow site for Sunday's grand entry, each dressed in their incredibly colourful regalia. This is the third year that the Nelson family has accepted the invitation to be head dancers at Silver Lake

The Pow Wow receives no government funding and is only able to take place thanks to the generosity of individuals in the surrounding communities. The Pow Wow is a not for profit event and all the proceeds go toward covering its costs. “This is a community-based traditional Pow Wow that exists because natives and non-natives come together to raise the funds necessary to put it on”, said arena director Danka Brewer. “So everyone is welcome to attend.”

Photo: Leaders and representatives of the 10 Ontario Algonquin Communities at the Gathering at Sharbot Lake

Chief Doreen Davis and members of the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation hosted the 2011 Algonquins of Ontario Nation Gathering at Oso beach on July 15. The event attracted Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to sunny Oso beach for a day of Algonquin ceremonies, feasting and the sharing of traditional practices and teachings.

The event began late Friday evening with a moonrise ceremony at the sacred fire where 50 women gathered to drum, smudge and pray while sharing their stories amid tears and laughter.

It was followed in the early dawn with a sunrise ceremony at the beach where Algonquin leaders invited everyone to participate in a smudging and peace pipe ceremony - a celebration of the creator, the birth of a new day and the gift of life. The day’s events included copious amounts of traditional native food, the highlight being the evening banquet in the main tent, where participants and visitors alike were treated to a free feast of moose, venison and beef.

Photo left: birch bark canoe and basket makers Chuck and Janet Commanda

There was a plethora of Aboriginal art and craft vendors, and MC Danka Brewer introduced the line-up of musical guests, who included Brittany Wally, Pirates of the Rideau and Canadian country music star Shane Yellowbird, who rocked the beach with an early afternoon performance. The more formal aspects of the day included the Grand Entry led by flag-bearing chiefs and representatives of the 10 participating Ontario Algonquin communities into an expansive main tent that was pitched specially for the event behind the Medical Centre.

At 11:00AM, Chief Doreen Davis of the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation who is also one of the 16 negotiators of the Algonquin Land Claim, led chiefs and representatives of the nine other participating Algonquin First Nations communities into a meeting. The other community representatives included Chief Randy Malcolm of the Snimikobi Ardoch First Nation, Lynn Cloutier of Ottawa, Ada Tinner of Bancroft, Irwin Sarrazin of Pikwakanagan, Chief Richard Zohr of the Bonnechere, Chief Patrick Glassford of the Algonquins of Greater Golden Lake, Chief Clifford Bastien Jr. of Mattawa/North Bay, as well as representatives from the Whitney and Antoine First Nations.

The meeting was to give an update regarding the Algonquin Land Claim by legal representative Alan Pratt, a lawyer who has been working on the Claim on behalf of the Ontario Algonquin First Nation since 1992. Pratt opened by saying, “This is a very challenging time, taking into account the force right now on the political scene. In the next two months we are hoping that the main elements of the negotiations will come together and that we can get some kind of commitment from the Ontario government before they get into the October elections.”

Pratt then outlined the goals of the Land Claim: “We are pushing very hard on the land, economic and governance fronts and pushing hard to get the main elements, if not resolved, at least to a commitment form in Ontario so that a new political party will feel they cannot back-track. We are also pushing beyond where they want to go and where they are mandated to go in the hopes of attracting attention to political leaders both federally and provincially and to make the case why they should go that extra mile to be fair and honourable to the Algonquin people.”

Following the meeting, Chief Doreen Davis talked about her hopes for the land claim

“This claim is about the rights that we had at contact, the title to our land and the fact that we never did get a land base, which is what we require. We have 10 communities here and only one reserve and it’s not a reserve we're after; that is simply not the answer. The fact is that at one point there were 9.8 million acres of Algonquin land on the Ontario side and we now have just one 1500-acre reserve, which just isn't cutting it. What we are looking for is stability and to have a land base that we can have and share and by having that to know that we have not lost mother earth under our feet and that we can continue to share and protect it as it should be.”

Davis said she continues to be optimistic about the land claim, which she has been part of since 1995.

“I have nine grandchildren that I definitely want to leave a legacy to so that they can be strong and continue to be strong for the next seven generations and on and on after.”

She said it has been a lot of work hosting the annual gathering, and “the highlights for me have been seeing the people, both the settlers and the Algonquin people together here enjoying themselves and witnessing the camaraderie that is being built here today. Its been amazing for example to have the ceremonies accompanied by settlers who are learning what and why we do the things we do and to see them learning and participating. That is incredibly rewarding. This sharing is something that happened here hundreds of years ago and it is still happening today and that is really what it is all about. When you really come down to it, the bottom line is that everyone really wants the same things.”

Sharbot Lake resident Karen Burke attended the sunrise ceremony and was very moved by it and the other events.

“It was amazing to see and you could really get the sense of how important and meaningful these ceremonies are. The entire day was beautifully done and I was very impressed and touched by how the hosts, organizers, and participants really reached out and embraced the entire community,” Burke said.

Chief Davis anticipates hosting the event again in Sharbot Lake in 2021 and said, “Hopefully by then … we will be implementing a new treaty that will see our culture and language back alive and well.”

The third annual Algonquins of Ontario Nation Gathering is slated for the Oso beach in Sharbot Lake this Saturday.

The general public is invited to join up to 300 Algonquin Nation members from throughout the Ontario Algonquin Territory who are expected to attend.

According to Shabot Obaadjiwan Chief, Doreen Davis, the event has two major goals, the strengthening of the ties between people of Algonquin descent who have scattered over the years, and the sharing of Algonquin traditions and culture with the general population.

To accomplish this, the host Shabot Obaadjiwans have emphasized interactive displays, including muskrat skinning, birch bark canoe and basket making lessons, wild rice harvesting and preparation techniques, and more. A number of kids’ activities will take place throughout the day.

The sacred fire to mark the start of the gathering will be lit on Friday night and a sunrise ceremony early Saturday morning will be the official start of the event. Breakfast will be served after that. There will be three female drums at the event, which will start up in the morning, including the first performance by the newly formed Shabot Obaadjiwan Drum.

At 11:00 a.m. (Algonquin time) the Grand Entry of the Algonquin communities will take place. A meeting will be held in a large tent at the far end of the site (in front of the Family Health Team). The meeting, which will be an update and question and answer session about the ongoing Land Claim negotiations, is the only event of the day that is for Algonquin people only.

“The meeting will take about 45 minutes,” said Chief Davis, “and most if not all of the information that will be shared at the meeting will be included in the material about the land claim that will be available to the public.”

In the afternoon, there will be bandshell performances by Brittany Wally, Pirate on the Rideau and the headline act, Shane Yellowbird of the Samson Cree Nation in Alberta.

A former winner of the Aboriginal Entertainer of the Year at the Aboriginal People’s Choice awards and the Rising Star of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Awards, Shane Yellowbird's show, which starts at 2:30 pm, will be a highlight of the gathering.

There will be vendors on hand throughout the day, and at 5 p.m. everyone is invited, Algonquin and non-Algonquin alike, to share in a feast, courtesy of the Shabot Obaadjiwan. While there will be salads and vegetarian fare available, and chicken as well, wild game will be featured, including Algonquin staples venison and moose, all cooked by local chef Tim Cota.

The Gathering was made possible through a “New Relationship Grant” of $24,000 from the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs as well as a number of corporate donations.

(Editor’s note: Because of recent events, the Shane Yellowbird show will have an added element of poignancy, a reminder of the issues facing Aboriginal peoples throughout the country. His five-year-old cousin, Ethan Yellowbird, was killed on Monday night, July 11, as he was sleeping in his bed. Ethan was struck by an errant bullet fired as part of apparent gang-related activity on the Samson Cree Nation.)