Kettle and Stony Point First Nation Anishinaabekwe a Miss Indigenous Canada 2025 contender
By Kelly Anne Smith
SARNIA—Kettle and Stony Point First Nation’s Summer Manning-Catt exudes enthusiasm talking about how taking on challenges and diving into new experiences help our characters grow. A Miss Indigenous Canada 2025 contestant, her bio reads, “Summer believes that personal success is intertwined with community success and aims to use her experiences and accomplishments to positively impact and uplift her community.”
Summer’s focus on self-development was part of the motivator to enter the pageant.
“I really believe that personal growth happens when you choose to put yourself in positive situations that are new or uncomfortable. That’s something I try to share with my own family, with my own little cousins. And because I work at the college, I also share that with other Indigenous youth that I work with, to really grow and experience new things. Find out things that you’re good at, that you never thought you would be. And see your potential in constantly trying new things even if they are uncomfortable. Oftentimes, when you are a little uncomfortable and you’re a little unsure, that’s often an indicator that it’s something that you need to experience to grow from.”
Summer is the Indigenous Student Navigator at Lambton College in Sarnia.
“It’s really great because I get to work with people from my own community, Kettle and Stony Point. But there are three local communities that have a pretty high enrolment right here: Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, Walpole Island First Nation, and Aamjiwnaang First Nation. That’s where a majority of our students come from.”
Summer recently had a working holiday in New Zealand. She says it was a great time to learn and “an opportunity for Indigenous youth from across Canada to go to New Zealand and experience life over in New Zealand.”
“I really enjoyed my experience,” says Summer. “I was a part of the third cohort and the team lead. We had 13 Indigenous youth from across Canada. We started off with the program. We met in Aukland. I unfortunately broke my collarbone, but everybody else got to go kiwi fruit picking which was a great experience for them but really hard work…My group got to do some roofing, so working in exchange for accommodations…Then we met up to experience Matariki, which is the Maori New Year Festival. It was a really special moment. I think that’s also in part what spurred me to want to participate in the Miss Indigenous Canada event because I had such an amazing time meeting other Indigenous youth. We were from different parts of Canada and we got to learn more about each other’s cultures. So, it’s something like that. I’ll get to experience other Indigenous cultures and we’ll learn from each other.”
At the interview, Summer said she hadn’t completely narrowed down what her platform would be about.
“We had a meeting with the director about a month ago and she was trying to give us feedback how to refine our platform. I don’t have a solid, final platform yet but just giving us the feedback that it should be more specific and that will benefit us in the long run. I know overall, I’m interested in land-based education and social justice.”
Asked about the future, Summer is prioritizing her health and happiness.
“I know when I’m happy and healthy, then I’ll be able to support people the best. I also went to school for my Bachelor of Education and that was a really great learning experience. Especially hearing from different teachers, overtime, sometimes you get burnt out and you kind of change your mind and you want to pivot. I have taken that advice on and I’m just open to whatever that I feel like I can support, while also taking in account my own self- care.”
Summer grew up in Sarnia, about half an hour or 40 minutes away from Kettle and Stony Point First Nation she says.
“I should mention my connection because identity politics have become such an important conversation in the Indigenous community. So, my connection to Kettle and Stony Point is my grandmother Rose Manning-baa. She was born and raised in Stony Point up until she was 10 years old, when she was removed and her family moved to Kettle Point. And my mom is Jane Manning. I grew up in Sarnia with my mom and my family. But I’ve always maintained a close connection to my family; visiting my family that lives on community, and going to ceremonies, going to the pow wows and volunteering. I think it was in 2012, 2014, I was also Miss Kettle and Stony Point for our youth representative. And most recently I volunteered at the 50th anniversary pow wow.”
When Summer has free time, she loves hiking and exploring.
“But also sewing has become more and more something important to me. I’m still learning. Not everything I sew is technically a work of art but hopefully within time I will improve. I have been making ribbon skirts and I’m hoping to be able to make some of my own outfits for the event in July. And one of the community members from Kettle Point, I’ve asked her to help me in case it doesn’t work out.”
Summer’s mother is an inspiration as she enters Miss Indigenous Canada.
“I think it’s important to highlight that my mom, Jane, she really raised me to always remind me to have at the forefront of my mind, my connection. And that no matter what I do, I am not just representing myself. I’m also representing my family and my community with whatever I do when I’m out in the world. She always reminded me that I need to be a role model, especially for other Indigenous youth, but predominantly for my little cousins who are watching.”
The competition’s grand finale runs this summer from July 23-26.