OWEN SOUND—The Bluewater Association for Lifelong Learning lecture series has been a major fixture in Owen Sound for more than a decade-and-a-half, but this year’s program centres on the themes of First Nations: Sharing the Talking Stick and Food Matters, the former of which contains a significant Manitoulin component.
The First Nations: Sharing the Talking Stick series begins on September 11 and runs through to October 16. Kicking off the series are Debajehmujig Storytellers’ Ron Berti and Joe Osawabine, whose offering is entitled ‘Storytelling: Debajehmujig from Manitoulin Island’ and will focus on storytelling in the aboriginal manner.
After a September 18 presentation on First Nation Athletic Achievements by Western University’s Dr. Janice Forsyth, our own Alan Corbiere of M’Chigeeng will take to the podium on September 25 to deliver ‘A History of the Anishinaabe and British Alliance,’ focussing on the relationship between the allies from the Revolutionary War through the War of 1812 to the two world wars, focusing on “tying the hands of friendship through the lens of war and peace.”
Other lectures will include ‘First Nations Authors’ by Lee Maracle on October 2, ‘First Nations Youth: Schools and Careers’ from a yet to be announced presenter and an October 16 presentation by Tracy Pawis of Parry Sound’s G’aagin Art Gallery on ‘First Nations Art.’
Ellen Lewis of Manitowaning is on the organizing committee for the The First Nations: Sharing the Talking Stick series and she explained how the subject matter for the series comes about.
“Every year we ask the audience for a list of what they would like to learn about,” she said. “This year’s subject was brought forward three years ago.” People wanted to learn more about First Nations issues and life from an aboriginal perspective, noted Ms. Lewis, directly rather than through the lens of the national media.
In the meantime, the Idle No More movement began to emerge in the national media. Part of the impetus for the subject matter of this series Ms. Lewis traced to the upwelling of activities through the Idle No More movement. “People are scrambling to try and understand,” she noted.
The popular lecture series regularly attracts over 250 participants, largely made up of retired professionals seeking to learn more about the world around them and important developments such as the local food movement.
Mixed in and among the series that focusses on sectors of interest there are often what Ms. Lewis described as ‘one-offs’ that deal with outlying subjects.
Ms. Lewis said that the popularity of the series can be traced to it being very affordable for attendees as well as geared to audience interests.
