MEET THE ICE KING!
Raymond “Ray” Mekish has been the lead caretaker and ice maker at the Minegoziibe Anishinabe First Nation Multi-plex for almost 40 years!
In the late 80’s, Ray earned his certification as a Level One Ice Technician, and he has been making winter memories for his community ever since.
Ray isn’t just a gifted ice maker, he is also a fixture at the arena helping little ones tie their skates, sharpening skates, and spreading joy with his infectious smile and humour.
When asked about his favourite part of the job, Ray tells us he gets to watch his children, grandchildren, and now great grandchild play hockey. He says it doesn’t get much better than that.
At 70 years of age, Ray has no intention of retiring or slowing down. That’s good news indeed for the people who call Pine Creek First Nation home.
SCO honours this community champion and we salute him for his decades of dedication to recreation in his Nation.
#SCOINCMB #MinegoziibeAnishinabe #PineCreekFirstNation #TreatyFour #TreatyTwo #IceMaking #IceTechnician #Hockey #Skating
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KINONJEOSHTEGON LANGUAGE TEACHER AND CHAMPION…
Eva Everette teaches Anishinaabemowin to students in nursery all the way to grade 10 at the Lawrence Sinclair Memorial School in the Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation.
Eva learned the language from her grandma, mom, and aunties. A quick survey of her classroom reveals she is no ordinary teacher.
Her walls, whiteboards, bookshelves, and even the classroom door, are filled with Anishinaabemowin words and phrases. As one poster says “Today is a Good Day to Learn Ojibwe’.”
We also think it’s an opportune time to shine a spotlight on this amazing teacher, and all of our precious language keepers who continue to share their gifts with their Nations! Miigwetch!
#SCOINCMB #KinonjeoshtegonFirstNation #Jackhead #TreatyFive #Anishinaabemowin #Ojibway #LanguageKeeper #KnowledgeKeeper #MFNSS #language #culture
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TAKING AIM IN KEESEEKOOWENIN
Ask the students at the Keeseekoowenin Elementary School what their favourite day is, and there’s a very good chance they will tell you it’s when Travis Boucher pays his monthly visit.
Travis is a long-time coach at Archery Manitoba, and since 2009, he’s been coming to Keeseekoowenin to teach archery. He teaches everything from how to handle the equipment safely, to helping the kids improve their focus and mental endurance that comes with the sport.
Travis tells us there’s evidence archery can help boost confidence and self-esteem because students see how their actions directly control the outcome.
Perhaps most importantly, the students love it! Travis has heard from former students how much they used to love archery class.
SCO would like to salute Travis along with the leadership at Keeseekoowenin Elementary School for their lengthy commitment to this sport and providing this unique and effective learning opportunity for the children of Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation.
#SCOINCMB #KeeseekooweninOjibwayFirstNation #TreatyTwo #SportManitoba #ArcheryManitoba #Archery #Education #Sport #MASRC #TravisBoucher
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HEALING THROUGH CONNECTION: THE ROLE OF LAND FOR FIRST NATIONS
Anishinaabe and Dakota peoples have always known connection to the land is a vital part of human health and view all land as sacred.
Based on this understanding, our Healthy Living Campaign reminds everyone, “Land is Medicine.” We know, connecting to the land restores our mind, body, and spirit.
For generations, our people have found everything we need on the land. The land provides our food, water, shelter, and medicines.
Our ways of learning, growing, practicing our culture, the languages we speak, and our spiritual connections are all directly tied to the lands we come from and the many forms of life with which we share the land.
As we reclaim our inherent right to health through our health transformation journey, we also continue asserting our inherent right to the land.
To learn more about the ways that “Land is Medicine” throughout the life cycle, visit the Southern Chiefs’ Organization’s Healthy Living Campaign page at: scoinc.mb.ca/knowledge-is-medicine/
#SCOINCMB #LandisMedicine #land #community #movement #wellness #food #knowledge #culture #mind #body #tips #medicine #campaign #health #traditions #SCOHealthTransformation #Anishinaabe #Dakota #FirstNations
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HONOURING THE NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
On this National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization honours the 14 women who were killed at Polytechnique Montréal on this day in 1989.
We solemnly remember their names: Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte, and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz. Violent misogyny drove the tragic killings of these 14 women.
First Nation women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people continue to face violence in their lives. We mourn the loss of those who have been stolen from us.
Women are sacred and deserve to be safe and protected. SCO reaffirms our commitment to stand up and take action to end gender-based violence.
To learn more about what you can do to help end gender-based violence, please visit our webpage that shares 16 actions to end gender-based violence: scoinc.mb.ca/16-actions/
For anyone who is impacted by gender-based violence and needs support, please reach out to our Mobile Crisis Response Team at:
Toll Free #: 1-877-SCO-2880 (1-877-726-2880)
Email: CrisisResponse@scoinc.mb.ca
The MCRT is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week
#MMIWG #MMIWG2S #16Days #day12 #FirstNations #EndGenderBasedViolence #endviolence #women #girls #twospirit #2Spirit #SCOINCMB
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