SLMHC, Lac Seul First Nation celebrate Indigenous History Month with fish fry for ECU Residents

In honour of celebrating Indigenous History Month, residents at the William A. George Extended Care Facility (ECU) were treated to a Fish Fry on June 23. The event, which was held at ECU, was put on in collaboration with Lac Seul First Nation, Mahkwa Lodge, and Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre (SLMHC).

Renee Southwind, Oniigaaniitamagen gaawiiji’aach at SLMHC; Heaven Pal, Activation Worker at ECU; and Nicole Robertson, Patient Care Manager at ECU spearheaded the initiative to create a momentous and special event for our residents. The activities featured aspects of Indigenous culture, including an acknowledgement of the land and core traditions of Indigenous peoples.

“We had an opening prayer and a drum song by Merv Ningewance from Lac Seul First Nation, and there were speeches done by our President and CEO, Dean Osmond and Chief Clifford Bull of Lac Seul First Nation. It was all very nice, and Heaven did a super good job emceeing,” says Renee Southwind.

Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents and guests alike were serenaded by Elder Merv Ningewance as an air of appreciation was cultivated at the fish fry.

“After we ate, Merv sang a really beautiful traditional song in our language, which is Ojibwe. Translated, the song goes, ‘I love my mother, I love my father and life is good with my family.’ It’s such a beautiful song. The residents were really listening,” says Southwind.

Great effort was put into the planning, execution and success of the event. Notably, the 30 walleye fish prepared for the residents were caught on Sunday, June 22, in the midst of a thunderstorm that impacted the area. This effort was matched with a favourable outcome as the residents were thoroughly delighted by the event.

“The residents enjoyed it. They were talking about the activity the next day, especially about the drummers that were there. Some of the residents had said that it was just a fun night. I think that overall, they had a great time,” says Nicole Robertson.

By all indications, having a cultural and spiritual experience from their very own traditions made the event that much more engaging for them.

“It was a really great chance for them to have their own culture so close to them,” says Heaven Pal.

In addition to the experience of watching the meal being prepared from a unique traditional standpoint, and soaking in the beautiful singing and drumming, the residents were also graciously given gifts.

“After the meal and song, Chief Bull had gifts for the residents, so they got a cup, a lanyard with a keychain, and a broach,” says Southwind.

As for future cultural and traditional events, there is already anticipation from residents, partners and staff.

“I’m looking forward to having more and more cultural events because people living there [ECU] who are Indigenous, specifically, don’t have families visiting as often because the families live in faraway Northern Communities. Because of the recent fires, their families had to move so maybe they won’t have time to visit for a really long time… These activities and spiritual events that we would like to have more often at ECU will help them feel close to their culture and feel welcomed where they’re staying,” says Pal. “If we can have their Indigenous culture presented to them more frequently that would be so great because they will feel more welcomed, heard and that their presence is even more respected.”

The event shed light on another positive path forward in enhancing the lives of our residents.

“I think it highlights a significant way for our residents to have some cultural, spiritual and traditional needs met, which I think is super important for our residents who live at Extended Care who don’t necessarily have the ability to go out to participate in some of the events in the community. Being able to bring it to Extended Care is an amazing opportunity,” says Robertson.

That said, future events will seek to have members from other communities in addition to Lac Seul First Nation, so that we foster a more representative group for the population of our residents who come from a variety of Northern Communities.

Our residents are happy and thankful to have been catered to in such a unique way.

“I would just like to say Miigwech on behalf of our residents who maybe can’t necessarily say it themselves. I think that it’s important to recognize that. Although they may not be able to verbalise that, I can tell by their demeanour the next day. I can tell by the atmosphere that they’re in an upbeat mood, that they really enjoyed themselves, and I’m sure they’re just as grateful for the opportunity to participate and feel included,” says Robertson.

SLMHC is also grateful to everyone who made this event possible.

“I’d love to thank Heaven and Renee and all the members from Lac Seul that came. I am super grateful for the opportunity, that they took the time and put in the effort. It’s really appreciated,” says Robertson.

Special thanks to Lac Seul First Nation, Chief Clifford Bull, Councillor Elvis Trout, Elder Merv Ningewance, Bobby Goodwin, Charity Ningewance – General Manager of Mahkwa Lodge, Brittany Johnson – Director of Home and Community Care, and Justin Goodwin. We would also like to say thank you to Dean Osmond, SLMHC President and CEO, for being a part of the celebrations and helping out with some of the activities.

We look forward to hosting future events and continuing to enrich the overall experience of our residents.