Wiikwemkoong members participate in Sceptres’ pre-game ceremonies

By Sam Laskaris

TORONTO – Florence Osawamick once again played a key role as the professional Toronto women’s hockey club staged its annual Indigenous Peoples Celebration game.

For the second straight year, Osawamick, a member of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, sang the national anthem of Canada before the Toronto Sceptres’ game on Mar. 29.

While she sang the anthem solo in the Anishinaabemowin language a year ago, Osawamick was joined by her niece Daisy Sagassige, also a Wiikwemkoong member, for her performance at this year’s match.

The pre-game ceremony included a drum circle performance led by Osawamick’s older brother Nimkii, also a Wiikwemkoong member. He’s the leader of a two-time JUNO-nominated band called Nimkii and The Niniis.

The Sceptres are one of eight clubs that compete in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).

Besides Toronto, the circuit also features three other Canadian franchises. They are Ottawa Charge, Vancouver Goldeneyes, and Montreal Victoire.

The four American clubs in the PWHL are the Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, New York Sirens, and Seattle Torrent.

Florence Osawamick felt it was important to once again sing the anthem in Anishinaabemowin at a pro hockey contest.

“I just got back from a language conference this past week,” she said. “And the theme was ‘Let’s help our youth speak the language.’”

She said she found the conference to be enlightening.

“And what I got from that is that a lot of our youth are struggling with speaking the language because either they’re ashamed from a young age and just the intergenerational trauma from Residential School,” she said.

The 19-year-old also sang the national anthem at this year’s Little Native Hockey League opening ceremonies. The tournament, often simply called the Little NHL, was held Mar. 15-19, primarily at rinks in Markham.

Florence Osawamick participated in the Little NHL numerous times while growing up. Her father is a member of Curve Lake First Nation. As a result, instead of suiting up for Wiikwemkoong teams, she represented Curve Lake at Little NHL tournaments.

And she said she was pleased to see the Sceptres once again stage their Indigenous Peoples Celebration match.

“I think it’s just to empower the Indigenous people and also our young women,” she said.

Osawamick is currently living in Peterborough as she’s a second-year student at Trent University, enrolled in the Indigenous studies program.

As for Nimkii Osawamick, this marked his first time being involved in the Sceptres’ Indigenous contest. But two months ago, he had gifted a drum to representatives of the pro squad.

“I was commissioned to create a drum and to gift as a symbolism of friendship and building relationship between the Little NHL and the Sceptres,” he said. “We had like a little ceremony in early January…We had like a little private meeting when they were about to do their practice. And we actually did like a little birthing of the drum, a little ceremony with the players in their locker room. And we shared water. We ate together. And we woke up the spirit of the drum.”

Like his sister, he too was pleased to see the Scepters hold an Indigenous match.

“I think it’s pretty meaningful and impactful work for them,” he said. “They’re starting to see Indigenous issues. And especially for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women [and Girls], they’re learning more about that and bringing awareness to that and also just inspiring our women and a lot of Indigenous girls. This is definitely good to see our … women in the spotlight.”

Nimkii Osawamick, who is 34 and lives in the township of Oro-Medonte, said he was a huge hockey fan in his youth but his interest had waned in ensuing years.

“But I’m starting to get back into it,” he said, adding his daughter is a huge hockey fan and attended her first Sceptres’ game earlier this season.