Weekend gathering at Trent touts water as ‘the first medicine’
Water will be the focus of an annual indigenous gathering at Trent University this weekend.
The 41st annual Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering runs from Friday to Sunday, and is open to indigenous and non-indigenous people.
Water the First Medicine: Protecting Life for Future Generations is this year’s theme, chosen by Trent students. The ability for water to heal, unite and empower will be highlighted through the weekend.
Trent and the First Peoples House of Learning have teamed up to host the symposium.
It features workshops, presentations and performances, including an indigenous performance that tells the story of Chanie Wenjack. The 12-year-old residential school student died on his walk home in 1966 after escaping his school in Kenora. Trent’s Wenjack Theatre is named after him.
Chanie’s Life – His Courage, Our Challenge kicks off the gathering, running Friday and Saturday night, starting at 7:30 p.m. The voiced-movement story is told by students in Trent’s indigenous performance studies and culture studies.
Saturday’s events include a sunrise ceremony, a vocal and harmony workshop and a presentation by David Newhouse. The chairman of Trent’s indigenous studies department will speak about resetting, restarting and renewing the relationship between indigenous peoples and Canada.
On Sunday, Water Walkers will host a panel discussion. The group is made up Anishinaabe men and women who walk the perimeters of the Great Lakes to raise awareness of water pollution and poor water quality in First Nations communities.
The gathering wraps up Sunday with a presentation by Claudette Commanda, University of Ottawa professor and executive director of First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres. She’ll explore the role of Anishinaabe women in protecting water.
The Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering started in the 1970s as a way for elders and traditional teachers from across Canada to share their wisdom and stories with others.