Building bridges with indigenous know how

Mar 31, 2011

Photo: Jeff Beaver (right) shows Anthony and Stefanie Falzon how to skin a muskrat

Participants eager to learn the traditional crafts, teachings and ceremonies of first nations cultures participated in a number of free workshops last weekend that were held in Sharbot Lake. The workshops, which were open to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, are part of a three-year program put on by Plenty Canada called “Our Traditions, Our Future”. The program’s goal is to share traditional knowledge in the hopes of building bridges among cultures that share the land. The program is also supported by Heifer International and is co-sponsored by the Shabot Obaadjiwan of Sharbot Lake.

Larry McDermott is the executive director of Plenty Canada, a not-for-profit organization that “facilitates access to and shares resources with Indigenous peoples and other community groups around the world in support of their environmental protection and sustainable development goals”.

“One of the aims of our organization,” McDermott said, “is the preservation, promotion, and sharing of indigenous knowledge systems as a way of protecting the earth’s bio-diversity. We strongly believe that this program will help teach people how to live on the land while being mindful of the issues facing us. Today we are losing bio-diversity at an alarming rate and traditional knowledge is a huge part of the solution for the future.”

The program included a two-day moccasin workshop taught by Margaret Nicholson, a Swampy Cree from Ottawa who is well known as one of the foremost moccasin and bead workers in the Ottawa area. Twelve participants gathered to learn how to make traditional handmade moccasins using moose hide, sinew, and wool with a three-sided glover style needle. The workshop also included traditional ceremonies and teachings and it attracted participants from as far away as Oshawa. Peigi Wilson of Crow Lake took part and said, “This is not just about making a beautiful eco-friendly product that will last forever; it is also an opportunity to learn things that we have not been taught in our families or communities. These traditions are falling away and making moccasins shows us how we can make beautiful things in a sustainable way.” Margaret will return in May to do another workshop for the program.

Outside the St. James Major hall, Jeff Beaver was showing participants how to skin and tan a muskrat hide as well as how to treat the meat so it can be used for food.

Inside the hall Chuck and Janet Commanda were teaching birch bark basket-making, which Chuck learned from his grandmother. They showed participants how to cut out a pattern from a single piece of bark, fold, pin and then pierce it with an awl, and finally sew it together using twine and red willow.

Erica Ferguson, Ontario field coordinator with Heifer International Canada, was also present at the workshops and expressed her delight in seeing how popular the program is. “We are very interested in First Nations skill development, food sovereignty and land-based skills, and this program is going a long way in allowing those skills to be shared.”

Our Traditions, Our Future will be offering ongoing workshops throughout April, May, June and July this year. For more information, call 613-278-2215, visit www.plentycanada.com or call the Shabot Obaadjiwan office at 613-335-2565.