Nipissing First Nation showcases community highlights on National Aboriginal Day

By Kelly Anne Smith

NIPISSING FIRST NATION—Chief Scott Mcleod of Nipissing First Nation celebrates the resilience of Indigenous People’s on National Aboriginal Day.

At the community celebration at Nbisiing Secondary School, Chief Scott McLeod said “In Anishnabie country we talk about every day being National Aboriginal Day, which is true. But on June 21st, all of Canada’s attention is turned to Aboriginal communities as we celebrate the day. It is our day. The rest of Canada and the world watch as we stand with pride for what we’ve been through.  We show our resilience through cultural genocide, social oppression and broken treaties. Despite that, we survived and we are still here.”

Indoors and out, people were in a festive mood. There was an opening ceremony, education through teaching booths, and a very popular luncheon. Following the lunch feast, a mini powwow demonstration wowed the crowd as six children from the community showed their style of dancing.

Coordinator of the day, Jules Armstrong, says the organizing committee receives pitches from each department at Nipissing First Nation (NFN). “Every department offers a unique aspect of life in Nipissing First Nation.” Armstrong adds there is a well-oiled machine of a team behind her as NFN has offered a celebration on National Aboriginal Day through its twenty years.

Armstrong counted over 300 people in attendance for the opening presentations and over 500 through the day. The interest has grown so much that there may be an entrance fee for non-members next year.

“We have a dilemma. In the past it has been a community event. But we are getting more and more interest in it becoming a public event. Next year we are going to have to consider it because it does cost a lot of money to offer the event. If schools want to come, maybe we can partner in some way,” stated Armstrong.

Armstrong will be reaching out to schools early in their year to avoid the barrage of calls the week before National Aboriginal Day. “The issue is important that it takes more than one day.”

Traditional Medicines are part of the Cultural Department of Nipissing First Nation. The Lands department is looking at land use restrictions to protect plants used as traditional medicine. “Sweet Grass for example, it doesn’t grow back. So the roots are left alone and you have to only pick a little bit,” added Armstrong.

A popular display by Lisa Beaucage demonstrated how to make a general salve. Beaucage is employed with the Laurence Commanda Heath Centre on Nipissing First Nation. She learned from a Haudenosaunee herbalist in a 2-part certificate course.

Beaucage showed women how to make a general salve of mullein, plantain, dandelion leaves, mint, witch hazel, bees wax and bear grease. If you do not have bear grease use a good olive oil. Beaucage says the salve helps with stings, cuts, scraps, burns, rashes, warts and boils.

“You just use the leaves. You can dry them or just put them in fresh. That is a mullein plant.” She points to a teaching aide on the table. “When it is in dry form, like this, try not to touch it. It is almost like insulation because of fibres.” Lisa shows a container of small pieces of dried leaves.

Beaucage explained that the mint has properties that can help soothe but it is mostly in there for the smell. You can also use lavender.  “I have the bees wax melting in here for this batch. It takes a little while. I have to turn it on high to get that to melt before I throw the plants in. It takes about three hours on low. Stir every hour.” This author recommends Lisa’s salve as a moisturizer that motivates one to get outdoors where the earthy smell came from.

Outdoors was the source of mouth watering smells for the Aboriginal Day Wild Food Tasting. Maggie McLeod and others were preparing and serving bear and fish on bannock. Well, it was really bear and fish shaped baloney that was fried to perfection. Mustard and ketchup went well and then washed down with a maple syrup tea.

Indoors, kitchen veteran Freda Martel was helping to prepare the traditional food tasting. “I’ve been here since they have been coordinating the National Aboriginal Day. That was one of the things we started was the Traditional Food Fest. We’ve had different cooks with different recipes, so different tastes. This year we have a beaver dish with barbeque sauce in a pulled-pork style.”

Also on the menu were fish, sheephead fish, bannock, beaver, fish cheek chowder, moose meat balls, beaver soup, deer stew and goose.

Evelyn McLeod, also known as the Grandmother of Nipissing, works as a Heritage Language translator. “I teach the Ojibway language also.” She points to the labels of the traditional food. “We call that a mic. That is Wousc chin. Then we have our sheephead. There are different styles of cooking it. At one time, this is what everybody ate, for Christmas and special events.”

The goose cooking expert is Judy McLeod, originally from Moose Factory, now a Nipissing First Nation member with her husband. “Today we boiled it and made dumplings with it. We were going to cook it by the fire. We were going to prep it and hang it by string over the side of the fire. That is more the traditional way.”

Mcleod continued to describe the length process to prepare the goose. “When we were plucking the goose it was ripping. You have to seal it where you gut it. We couldn’t do that with the skin all pieced up.  Plus you need a proper shelter from the wind and it’s windy today. You need your fire pretty compact. And it has to be constantly spinning.”

“We started about seven years ago. I was a bit shy but my Mom came for about three years to do it. Everybody really loved it. And it tastes really good too.  She and I would do ducks. We would skewer them and put them by the fire too. That is called geestabon.  Spinnging the geese is called sigabon,” added Mcleod.

Chief McLeod stands tall and proud looking around him as his community celebrates. “We also celebrate our resilience with humility, not with resentment or hatred.  It is a day when we celebrate being ourselves and we are here and we are not going anywhere. Outside forces have tried but we are still here. That’s what Aboriginal Day means to me. “

Asked about a push to rename National Aboriginal day, Chief McLeod feels it would be redundant to designate the special day Truth and Reconciliation Day. “I think if we have the entire country celebrating Aboriginal Day, that is Truth and Reconciliation. I don’t think we need to take a day such as this and turn it into a guilt trip. We celebrate that we are the Aboriginal people of this country. Not just that we should take pride in that but every Canadian should take pride in that. We are partners.”