Letter to the Editor: A place of beauty called Anemki Wajiw

I just wanted to thank the Anishinaabe people for allowing me the honor of going to their sacred place of Anemki Wajiw.

I was on a cross Canada trip on a motorcycle and was nearing Thunder Bay. I had stopped on the road side to wait out a storm passing through. An Anishinaabe man happened to be there and we started to chat about my motorcycle. I told him I was touring across Canada to see the beauty of our country.

He asked if I had been up Mount McKay. To be honest, I had never heard of it… He told me it was a special place and I should see it. I have learned on my travels that the best places are the ones the local people are proud of. So I turned left instead of right and went to see… As I rode up the mountain, I had a distinct feeling that the mountain was not “Mount McKay” but something different. The name was in my heart, just wrong. When I arrived at the parking area I knew I was in a special place. The view of the city is okay, but not why this place is sacred to me.

As I looked across the water to The Sleeping Giant – Nanabijou and looked at the mountain behind me, I knew that somehow the name was wrong. I decided to ask what name the Anishinaabe people knew it as. I later did some research on it. I came across a story in your paper, dated May 17 2018,  “Thunder Bay youth tell the story of Mount McKay“.

“This is a place that is sacred to the Anishinaabe people, it is a place where they hold their ceremonies, it is a place that is cared for by the Elders, it is a place that is super special to them, so Anemki Wajiw is its name and it never needed to be renamed.”

I wrote a review on Tripadvisor as this place touched my heart in a way that cannot be explained.

The view is amazing and I thank the Anishinaabe people for allowing me the honour of going to their sacred ground. I understand why it is a special place and refuse to acknowledge it as “Mount McKay”. That name should be removed. Thank you for sharing Anemki Wajiw with me. I will remember it always. It will cost you to visit, but roads, boardwalks, railings and infrastructure are not free…… It is a small price to pay.

Thank You,

Jim Brandeau
Napanee, Ont.