GORDON—If the rest of the world would follow the lead of students, teachers and helpers of Lakeview School in M’Chigeeng and Charles C. McLean Public School in Gore Bay, as well as members of the Western Manitoulin Community Garden (WMCG) there would no longer be any strife or conflicts in the world. To see children and adults listening to and performing actions to beautiful songs, sharing gifts and their cultures was a sight to be seen at the Heart Garden at the WMCG just outside of Gore Bay last week.
“Thank you to the students for those heart- warming presentations. This is truly reconciliation at work,” stated Chuck Willson.
“I am Linda Willson from RavensWing in Ice Lake. Today our community garden is remembering the children from residential schools in this Heart Garden. We are grateful for having this land to help build community, to help grow good food for people and to help people grow their own food. We wish to acknowledge that we are on the ancestral lands of the Three Fires Confederacy of Anishinaabe, the Odawa, the Potawatomi and the Ojibwe people.”
“We are all treaty people,” stated Ms. Willson. “The government made a treaty with the Anishinaabe people. That treaty is the Robinson Huron Treaty made in 1850. That was over 170 years ago. A treaty is a promise that both sides agree upon. The Anishinaabe are still working in the courts of this land, asking Canada and Ontario to honour those promises. In the spirit of reconciliation, we hope there will be a fair answer for the Anishinaabe people, our neighbours who are with us today.”
“We hope that you will come and visit this garden from time to time and remember the children who suffered at Residential Schools, and especially remember those who never returned home,” continued Ms. Willson. “Find out and think about the promises that were made in that treaty and find ways to make peace with our troubled past in Canada. This Heart Garden and bringing you all together today is our way of trying to do this in a small way.”
Prior to the opening of the ceremony, Nicky Fox, Grade 5 teacher at Lakeview, helped perform a smudge ceremony. “It is so nice to see all your smiling faces all here together,” she said explaining the significance of the smudging ceremony.
“Sarah Earley sends her regrets that due to some health issues she is not able to be with us today. Sarah is the person who came up with the idea of creating this heart garden here at our community garden after reading the Truth and Reconciliation Report. One of the reconciliation ideas in the report was to build a heart garden in memory of the children who endured hardships at Residential Schools. This heart garden stands as a memory to all of us for the children who suffered there, and for those who never came home,” said Mr. Willson.
After Ms. Willson provided the land acknowledgment Mr. Willson said, “thank you Linda for some important things for us all to think about. Welcome to all of the adults who came to participate today, but this day is for the children, and we are happy to have kids from Lakeview School in M’Chigeeng and C.C. McLean School in Gore Bay. Thank you to the teachers and helpers for making this possible.”
April Patterson, teacher of the Grade 2/3 class at C.C. McLean told the gathering that the students were presenting a gift of a beautiful hand painted wind chime on behalf of the entire school to the Lakeview students.
The C.C. McLean students sang a beautify song ‘O’Siem’ written sung by Susan Aglukark.
Kelly Gratton, Grade 2 teacher at Lakeview said the students would be performing a prayer and giving the C.C. McLean students tobacco ties, with grade five students explaining their significance.
Kerri Lavendar gave a brief presentation on the magic of seeds and after presenting the students with Nasturtium seeds, they planted them in the Heart Garden.
“This has been a really beautiful and heart-warming ceremony,” said Mr. Willson.
Following the ceremony the students took part in painting hearts and snacks provided by the Gore Bay United Church Women, along with kites being made available for the students to fly.
