AND THEY’RE OFF!

After a LOT of preparation, planning, and packing, the Neemamo Mishkanan team has left for their 8-day journey by canoe down a traditional Moose Cree travel route!

The group of 11 Moose Cree Youth, as well as Moose Cree Knowledge Holders, scientists from WCS Canada, a professional photographer, and professional canoe guides, will travel the Mattagami and Moose Rivers, taking over a week to canoe along a traditional Moose Cree travel route that was disrupted in the 1900s by colonization and hydropower development. Successfully funding and organizing this trip has been over a decade in the making, and it was a joyful and emotional send-off this morning, with Elders, drummers, and representatives from Ontario Power Generation sending the Youth on their way, and wishing them well for the journey.

Over the next 8 days, the Youth will be able to strengthen their connections with their Homeland and culture, learn about traditional and scientific approaches to making observations about the river and land, and have the experience of a lifetime as they travel all the way to Moose Factory, where they will be welcomed on August 20 with a Welcome Party at the Cree Cultural Interpretive Centre!

Stay tuned to this page, or follow our Facebook page or Instagram, to get updates and follow the Neemamo Mishkanan team on their journey!

The Neemamo Mishkanan team during their canoe training in Palmer Rapids, Ontario, earlier this year. The whole Learning from Lake Sturgeon team is thinking of them and wishing them well for their journey! Photo credit: Jennifer Simard.