Mid Summer Gathering

What is the purpose?

The Mid Summer Gathering is in the spirit to awaken “The Spirit of Mother Nature” laid out on the land we walk upon.

To acknowledge the skills and wisdom of the ancestors to the blessing of “Mother Earth”

To recount the blessing laid out on “Turtle Island” cared by Mother Earth

To partake and taste the fruit of the land called “Home” by the creatures of Mother Earth.

When will it be done?
August 4 to August 17, 2008

What will be happening?

Between August 4 and August 18 2008, the guests are invited:
To help collect the berries laid out on the land.
To help and participate in the hunts.
To help and collect the eatable of the waters.
To experience the connection to Mother Earth.

In preparation for the Thanksgiving Feast of “Mother Earth’s Natural Gifts” the fruits blessed by the hand of the Creator on the 16 of August 2008

Special Healing Events:

Sunrise Ceremony
Sweat Lodge
Elder Circle
Men Circle
Women Circle
Youth Circle
Story telling Circle

Activities:
The guests and participants will be invited to actively partake in the preparation to instill a community setting to walking in pace with Nature

From gathering the resources with members of the Algonquin Nation living off the land to writing of the recipes to fill the menus of the big day of the feast.

With Members of the Algonquin Nation, They will demonstrate their traditional skills in their survival on the land and with contemporary skills acquired with modern technology in their survival of their cultural genetics.

Where is this happening?
Kokomville, Quebec, Within the Traditional Sovereign Algonquin Territory of a family situated within the La Verendrye Wild Life Reserve, Quebec, Canada (Map available here.)

Where are we going to stay?
Minimal number of lodging available for Elders (house and wigwams)
(Tarps and plastic are welcome to make more wigwams for guests)
Requesting guests and participants to bring camping gear.
Camping sites available

What are we eating?
The people, participants and guests are welcome to contribute fruits and vegetables for the community eatery. The people, participants and guests are welcome to contribute their personal recipes with resources of the land to the Community Eatery. And depending on the skills of the hunters, fishermen, and gatherers we should gain a pound or two of the resources available on the land.

What is the mid summer feast for?
The mid summer feast is a way to get thanks to the creator by preparing its blessing to the best of one can give for all to rejoice. Giving way to acknowledge the beneficial resource transmitted by the whisper of the ancestors that live off the land. The melody of a renewal of a cultural connection to the land of mother earth.

Objectives and Goals of the Gathering:
The objectives and goals of the gathering is to guide interested guests and participants to learn about the land and its resources available to people. To help learn the cultural entity of people living off the resources and the way and granted by the creator.

Contributions and Donations:
The following items are requested to facilitate of building shelters and lodge to be used during the duration of the workshop. The plastic and tarps of fair dimension are needed to build several lodges around the community of Kokomville to accommodate healing session and discussions circles.

Semi-heavy to heavy plastic: Dimesnsion: 6meters by 100 meters
6 Tarps: dimension 6 meters by 8 meters
Hay bail string to build the skeleton of the wigwam

"...a letter from the director regarding recent and coming events at Kokomvile and the surrounding area...."

April 9, 2008:

There is a workshop with the people from Wakoshig with the goal to learn the importance of learning the culture of the Anishinabek on April 10th to 12th, 2008

The will be a video crew on April 15th, 2008 to take documentation on the hardship of the Native people living on the land and what they're doing about it. ( Its supposed to be for a film festival that i may have to go to. It still needs to be comfirmed about going.)

The signing of the declaration (of sovereign nations) will be on the 20th of April, 2008. I will be sending the declaration to be intergrated into the web site. The signing of the declarartion will be done in the bush at Camatose hill, which is the center of the land of the Algonquin people, or it may be done in a major city such as Ottawa, Montreal, or Federicton, to have publicity.     ....(click here to learn more about this historic signing)....

I have proposed a project to Rapid Lake to create cultural curriculum based school materials on the theme of Maple sugar. I have started the project just to get it going and things are starting to have effect.

The Rapid Lake school principal is requesting a curriculum project that would be fisible for the whole year. ( I am writing it at the moment.)

March 12, 2008 Rapid Lake, Quebec Canada

An eyewitness account of Barrriere Lake situation as blockades are removed and families return.

"I guess you heard that Casey Ratt and his councilors are recognized. It has been a long week for everybody, some people are still in shock and just finally sinking in what had happened, there has been a lot of tears and disbelief. There is still police officers in Rapid Lake ,still arresting people ,4 boys were arrested yesterday because they tried to block the road again by cutting trees down on the road. 2 women from Rapid Lake got ill and was brought to the hospital yesterday. people that left Rapid Lake friday are still not back in the reserve due to their safety. Most are in maniwaki with friends and family. also yesterday there was drummers from Lac Simon that came in their support to come and sing for them. Today I think they are planning to try to go back home, we are suppose to have tea and donuts here in maigan agik. that is basically the run down.. and Somar and Cheyanne are working on the videos on marach 11 yesterday, People that left Rapid Lake last friday returned to their homes yesterday and was escorted by the S.Q in full riot gear. 2 cars were let in first, Hector and Casey. Then the rest of the people went in after. there was about 42 cars we counted going in. Some of them were from neighboring reserves coming to observe the situation in Rapid Lake. Also the APTN was present and seen the houses that was broken in too. Casey's house was messed up he had his belonging stolen and some of his things were thrown outside. Hector's house is the same thing.All messed up and someone even shit in his tub. Very disrespectful people. Today this morning Hectors house just destroyed all his furniture is damaged someone went in his house during the night and finished it off. The cops were suppose to be watching all night, obviously they didn't."

"TODAY IN BARRIERE LAKE A GROUP THAT CALLS THEMSELVES THE PONCHO'S GROUP ERECTED A FULL BLOCKADE TO BAR OUT NEWLY ELECTED CHIEF CASEY RATT AND ELDERS SEVERE RATT,HECTOR JEROME AND F.N.E.C JULES PAPATIE FROM ENTERING OR ONCE THEY LEAVE THE RESERVE THEY WILL NOT BE ALLOWED BACK IN TO THEIR HOMES.  THIS WAS WRITTEN IN A LETTER HANDED OUT BY BENJIMAN NOTTAWAY BUT THE LETTER HAS NO REAL SIGNATURE ONLY BARRIER LAKE ON THE BOTTOM . 6 S.Q CARS ARE ON SCENE BUT MORE WILL BE COMING IN,IN THE MORNING. THERE HAS BEEN PPL THAT SUPPORT THE NEWLY ELECTED CHIEF AND COUNSIL THAT ARE BEING PUSHED AND THREATENED BY THE PONCHO GROUP THESE ACTS FROM THE PONCHO GROUP ARE CAUGHT ON TAPE AND THE S.Q SIT BACK AND WATCH. THE RCMP HAVE BEEN INFORMED AND KNOW THE SITUATION AND STILL LEAVE IT UP TO THE S.Q WHO WOULD RATHER SEE THE NATIVES KILL THEMSELVES..

SO THE MAJORITY OF BARRIER LAKE BAND PUT UP A BLOCKADE BEHIND THE PONCHO GROUP TO PROTEST THE ACTIONS OF THIS SMALL GROUP OF 25 ADULTS. AND THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE ARE NOT GIVING UP UNTIL PONCHO'S GROUP TAKE DOWN THEIR BLOCKADE. AND ALSO KEEP DIABO OUT FROM COMING IN THE RESERVE WHICH WE OVER HEARD THEY ARE TRYING TO BRING HIM IN THE RESERVE TONIGHT.

THERE HAS BEEN COMPLAINTS LAID AGAINST A FEW MEMBERS THAT PUT UP THE PONCHO BLOCKADE. THEY HAVE ON VIDEO THAT SO CALLED ACTING CHIEF BENJAMIN NOTTAWAY TELLING ONE OF HIS SUPPORTER TO" JUST RUN OVER A GIRL WHO WAS IN THE ROAD" WITH A TRACTOR
IT'S GETTING PRETTY BAD OVER HERE.

BOTH GROUPS ARE PLANNING TO STAY ALL NIGHT BLOCKING, THE PEOPLE "CASEY'S GROUP" WILL NOT GIVE UP THIS TIME. THEY ARE GOING ALL THE WAY AND FURTHER TO CLEAR UP THIS SITUATION. AND ARE BRINGING THEM TO COURT AND PUT AN INJUNCTION ON THE PONCHO GROUP AND THEIR RIGHT HAND DIABO AND NAWHEGABOW."