Aaniin Boozhoo

In the summer of 2022, Our Heritage Place was notified of a successful grant application. The grant was for a community sugar shack as well as an evaporator and a sap storage resevoir. In the fall, we were able to purchase a pre-fab sugar shack!

Public works did some clean-up of the bush, including felling some dead trees and pouring a concrete slab for the shack. The sugar shack was delivered to the Maple Avenue sugar bush and we were handed the keys.

We are very excited to have a beautiful (and a dry, wind-free) location to make that delicious food and medicine we call ziisbaakwadwaaboo (maple syrup). Several families have taken up Our Heritage Place’s programming offer of a family sugar bush (in which supplies were provided for free) and they, as well as annual maple bush waadookaaged (helper) Robert Snache, will be creating some delicious maple syrup over the next couple months.

Mino Bmaadziwin Worker Stephanie McInnis recently welcomed twins! Congratulations Stephanie and family. Stephanie will be off on maternity leave for a while. Kendra Keetch has stepped in to fill Stephanie’s role while she is at home with her bebiinsag (babies). Kendra offers an “aaniin” later in the mzinigan.

Anishinaabemowin Naagaanzid Jessica Shonias and her team of Anishinaabemowin staff are doing some amazing work getting the immersion daycare up and running. Staff have been hired to begin working at the current Rama daycare in what will be the temporary Anishinaabemowin immersion room, prior to their move to Giiwedin Ki’s Maple building. The Maple building at Giiwedin Ki will be the home of the immersion daycare. This is a very exciting, and has been the dream of many language teachers and speakers for a long time. The immersion daycare is the beginning of community language reclamation.

Anishinaabe Waadookaaged James Simcoe continues to be ever-busy, organizing and assisting with ceremony, cultural teachings, and helping us all learn more about who we are as Anishinaabe.

Researcher/Archivist Ben Cousineau has transitioned over to the Communications Department, albeit carrying on much of the same research work. Ben will still maintain close ties to Our Heritage Place and assist with research and history whenever needed.

Otherwise, believe it or not but planning for the 2023 Rama Powwow has already started. Last year we saw record attendance and it was an incredible weekend. Such a big event takes many months to plan and we are excited to release some new information in the coming weeks. Stay tuned! For now, save the date: August 26-27 2023!

Miigwech for reading the biboon/winter edition of the Mzinigan. As ever, please contact Ben at benc@ramafirstnation.ca with any comments or questions regarding the mzinigan.