WIIKWEMKOONG—Kaella-Marie Earle is an actively engaged young Anishinaabe-kwe, recently Ms. Earle joined the NDP Northern Council executive and the team decided to brainstorm proactive ways to tackle the recommendations contained in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.
“Indigenous peoples in Canada have time and time again faced racially motivated injustice in Canada and continue to struggle to overcome it,” noted Ms. Earle. “Part of that struggle, and something that is mentioned in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, is an educational gap between indigenous peoples’ way of life and non-Indigenous peoples’ understanding of what that is.”
The NDP team came up with an innovative concept for dealing with the education gap at the grassroots level.
“Together with some other youth of Northern Council Executive team, we are currently planning to run an Indigenous Cultural Training Camp for young adults,” said Ms. Earle. “The purpose of the camp will be to change the narrative for Canadians on Indigenous culture, values and humanitarian issues. It will also serve as a platform to bridge the aforementioned educational gap and to strengthen relationships between Indigenous people and Canadians, and hopefully help to address racially motivated violence against Indigenous peoples in Canada. We believe that providing a safe and culturally significant space to learn will be life changing for our participants.”
So far, noted Ms. Earle, the team has recruited three facilitators, including elder Winnie Pitawanakwat and Laurentian University sessional lecturer Will Morin, to help run events at the camp. “Participants will be learning abut sweetgrass braiding, Indigenous governance, medicine pouch making, Indigenous identity and have a chance to discuss and reflect in a dreamcatcher weave sharing circle.”
While the concept and organization for the youth camp originated within the NDP Northern Executive team, Ms. Earle stressed that the camp itself and its goals are strictly non-partisan.
Ms. Earle noted that Wiikwemkoong Tourism will also lead participants in a cultural tour and that those attending the came will have the opportunity to experience Wiikwemkoong’s Annual Cultural Festival.
“We will have about 20 participants between the ages of 18 to 30, the majority of them students, selected for their passion and willingness to change the narrative of Indigenous peoples in Canada,” she said, as well as helping to change the existing misconceptions however they can. “We also chose Indigenous participants looking to reconnect with the culture.”
Lack of resources should not be a barrier to learning about Indigenous culture and traditions, noted Ms. Earle. “Our participants will be helping us fundraise. We are really looking for financial support right now since we are trying to cover everyone’s travel expenses to get to the camp.”
The results of the impact of colonization and the residential school system has meant that there are a lot of Indigenous youth, particularly those living in urban communities, who have had their connections to their heritage severed but who are seeking ways to reconnect.
The non-Indigenous youth camp’s fundraising page is located at www.chuffed.org/project/cultural-camp-for-non-indigenous-peoples.
The camp itself will take place at Gordie’s Beach near the Wiikwemkoong powwow grounds from August 5 to 7. For more information contact Kaella-Marie Earle at 705 521 3479 or email atkm_earle@laurentian.ca or Jordon Williams at 705-622-2093 or email atjwilliams@laurentian.ca.
