Fort William look to revive cattail weaving

By Rick Garrick

FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION — The late Treaty #3 Elder Freda McDonald’s teachings on cattail weaving were passed on during a Sept. 23 Fort William Youth and Social Development workshop at the Anemki Wajiw Lookout. The Learn How to Weave Cattails into Ceremonial Mats workshop was led by Ann Magiskan, a Lac Seul citizen who was taught by Elder McDonald at Fort William Historical Park.

“I worked for Fort William Historical Park for 16 years and during that time, I had the honour of working with Elders who shared so many teachings and traditions,” Magiskan says. “Elder Freda McDonald taught me about cattail mat weaving way back in the early 1990s. At the fort, we used to make cattail mats and they were traditionally a sleeping mat the [Anishinaabe] used in the wigwams, in our homes.”

Magiskan says the sleeping mats were usually made in a six-by-three-foot size.

“So my vision in the past couple of years has been to try to revitalize the cattail weaving,” Magiskan says. “And to teach the youth this is something we have — the resources are right here in our backyard.”

Magiskan says the cattails are usually harvested in mid-August to early September.

“You don’t want to go past the first week of September because they start to dry out too much,” Magiskan says. “There’s guck at the bottom from the swamp and you want to wash all that off your cattails, split them, dry them for about two weeks and then once you work with them, you moisten them. I’m using a sheet just to moisten the cattails.”

Magiskan says the Anishinaabe traditionally used natural plants to dye the mats.

“But we’re not doing any of that, we’re just doing a basic weave just to teach the tradition,” Magiskan says.

Magiskan adds that cattail weaving was traditionally done during the winter months.

“Everything would have been harvested in the season and then dried and stored,” Magiskan says. “Over the winter is when you did a lot of the hands-on work, so the weaving, the sewing of clothing. There were intricate designs that could have been put into the mats. Once you learn the skill and it’s something you enjoy doing, then you can expand it because the cattails can be woven into baskets, they can be used for making chair seats. They’re strong, they’re sturdy — when the cattails are bunched together, that’s where you’re getting the strength.”

Marnie Greenwald, recreation worker with Youth and Social Development at Fort William, appreciated the opportunity to expand her knowledge of her heritage.

“I think it’s super beautiful because it’s almost like recycling the earth again,” Greenwald says. “You’re reusing what you don’t have to buy and it’s so natural and easy to do. Programs like this can make a ripple effect.”

Kelly Morriseau, a Fort William citizen, says she is looking to pass on the skills she learns to her nine-year-old granddaughter.

“The group size is perfect,” Morriseau says. “It’s really nice being here with the young people to watch what they’re doing.”

Morriseau says the participants made their own frames out of poplar saplings and then laced sinew across the frame for weaving the cattails onto.

“Every time we start with a cattail, we start from the opposite end so it’s always going in a different direction,” Morriseau says. “And we keep pulling [the weaves] tight — it’s turning out nicer than I thought it would.”

Fort William youth Ava MacLaurin enjoyed the process of weaving the ceremonial mat.

“It’s nice — it’s relaxing,” MacLaurin says. “I like being outside.”