The Medicine Walk —by Jeff Monague On September 30, 2024, once more we will observe a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, otherwise known as Orange Shirt Day. It will be especially important for the Anishinaabeg (Ah-nish-in-aw-behg) of Christian Island as they...
The Medicine Walk Spring’s Bounty, Now and in the Past —by Jeff Monague It is spring! As we witness the new growth emerge from the tiny lairs of tree buds, we watch as leaves and blossoms tentatively make their way into the light for the first time. We also get to...
The Medicine Walk Imagine waking up one morning to learn that someone has assumed your identity. When that happens, you will find that it will leave you bewildered and questioning what kind of person would do such a thing. Your thoughts will be in complete disarray....
I caught a glimpse of a cousin of mine last week as I was driving past them in a quiet little town in Simcoe County. I knew instantly who they were just by their walk. When you know someone, you know everything about them. Including their walk.
While Orillia hosted a gathering of Scottish Clans during the 44th Annual Scottish Festival, there was also a gathering of another sort at Springwater Provincial Park just north of Barrie. It was a gathering of the Ojibwe Doodemag (Doe-deh-mug), family groups, which...
Indigenous Facts and Myths When I was in the Canadian military as a young man serving in Germany, I was asked a question by one of my fellow soldiers. This young soldier from Georgetown Ontario asked me if it was true that an Indian (which was still vernacular in the...
Water is Life Growing up, I always heard from the elders in my village on Christian Island that water has memory. Water will always remember where it flowed originally. And even when diverted, it will always find its original path. It will also clean itself when...