Pimachiowin Aki

World Heritage Site

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3 Lessons the World Can Learn from Pimachiowin Aki  

Irene Fogarty’s PhD research began with a question: how can Indigenous-led conservation guide the future?  She found answers in the story of Pimachiowin Aki.  

1. Congratulations on completing your doctorate! We first met you in March 2020 when you approached Pimachiowin Aki to participate in your PhD research. Your research focuses on Indigenous Peoples and the guardianship of protected areas in Canada including current and tentative World Heritage sites. Can you explain more about this? 

Thank you! The greatest honour I had during my doctorate was the opportunity to meet some of my heroes: the Board and Anishinaabe community members of Pimachiowin Aki. The aim of the study was to show how important it is to empower Indigenous Peoples in protecting traditional lands and waters, including through formal partnerships with provincial and federal governments. Pimachiowin Aki is a great example for how to do this.

Irene Fogarty, Doctor of Philosophy in World Heritage, University College Dublin, School of Archaeology.

2. What drew you to this research— was there a moment or story that sparked your interest?

Really, it was the injustice of how Indigenous Peoples are treated in Canada, including in protected areas conservation. While Canada has taken many positive steps to finance Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, only some World Heritage sites in the state have Indigenous Peoples in formal, equal decision-making partnerships alongside federal or provincial authorities. The partnership between Bloodvein River, Pauingassi, Little Grand Rapids and Poplar River First Nations and the provincial governments sets a positive example of formal, shared decision-making in numbered Treaty territory. Anishinaabeg drove the World Heritage nomination. This, along with their determination and resilience to see the site protected, shows the power of Indigenous leadership to make positive changes that benefit everyone.    

Irene in discussion with community members and provincial government staff at the Pimachiowin Aki 2022 AGM.

3. You interviewed 43 people across Canada and internationally, including 18 people from Pimachiowin Aki. Was there a conversation or moment during your interviews that stayed with you— something that changed how you see protected areas conservation? 

I was honoured and humbled to have spoken with every person who contributed from Pimachiowin Aki. Everyone was so patient and generous with their time. I was moved by how the First Nation communities wanted to protect Pimachiowin Aki as a World Heritage site for the benefit of all. Ed Hudson and Ray Rabliauskas of Poplar River explained how Elders saw what’s happening in this world and wanted to make sure it would be saved for everybody’s benefit. Looking at how Indigenous Peoples are treated in Canada, this is a profound gift. William Young of Bloodvein and Clinton Keeper of Little Grand Rapids both spoke of the importance of ceremonies and their concern for loss of language and culture – a concern shared by many participants. Lands Guardian Melba Green and Councillor Ellen Young, both in Bloodvein, are amazing women. They spoke to me about the importance of encouraging Anishinaabe knowledge and culture in the classroom. 

I was so grateful I got to meet Joe Owen of Pauingassi First Nation.

Joe Owen passed away in August 2023

I was so grateful I got to meet Joe Owen of Pauingassi First Nation. He’s a huge loss. He spoke of learning out on the land with family, as did three Bloodvein community members. It was wonderful to hear these recollections. Bruce Bremner and Gord Jones spoke about the difficulties of the World Heritage inscription and the challenges faced by the Pimachiowin Aki partners. Hearing this firsthand really brought home the challenges for everyone. Their insights showed how important it was that the communities kept fighting to get World Heritage recognition, because it compelled the World Heritage system to adopt better processes. Those are just a few examples off the top of my head, but everyone’s contribution was a privilege to hear, and so important. I also found it very moving how Anishinaabeg uphold the Seven Teachings, including through the determination to protect Pimachiowin Aki and all its beings, and have a willingness to work with everyone nationally and internationally to do so. Everyone should learn the Seven Teachings and take to heart the lessons provided by the communities of Pimachiowin Aki. 

4. You describe Pimachiowin Aki as a case study in “how to do things right.” What makes this World Heritage site so unique and effective in your view?

The First Nations decided World Heritage inscription was the best way to protect the land and waters and all beings of Pimachiowin Aki. The idea of equitable partnership with the provinces to protect the site respects Treaty rights and constitutional rights of Indigenous Peoples. Furthermore, as the provincial and federal governments respected the aims of First Nations to have Pimachiowin Aki inscribed as a World Heritage site, this supported Article 31 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

The destruction of Indigenous Peoples’ relationships with lands and waters was a key strategy of settler colonialism.

Article 31 asserts that Indigenous Peoples have the right to protect, control and maintain their cultural heritage and knowledge systems. This right should be upheld by the state. Furthermore, the World Heritage inscription recognises the importance of protecting Anishinaabe culture as well as the Boreal territory. While the extent of international legal protection offered through the World Heritage Convention is somewhat limited, the inscription gives international visibility to the importance of protecting Anishinaabe culture and landscapes. 

Another important point is how shared decision-making power through the Board is vital in challenging inequalities stemming from settler colonialism. The destruction of Indigenous Peoples’ relationships with lands and waters was a key strategy of settler colonialism. Anishinaabe leadership in decision-making for Pimachiowin Aki is vital in maintaining and restoring cultural and spiritual connections with the site. 

5. Your research concludes that Pimachiowin Aki offers important lessons to the world. What are some of the lessons we should all pay attention to?

a) How have communities pushed back against coloniality in the World Heritage process—and what can other Indigenous Nations learn from that experience?

Coloniality refers to the unequal power relations which are rooted in colonialism and continue in the present to oppress and marginalise Indigenous Peoples. We see it in the treatment of Indigenous Peoples in healthcare; in broken Treaty promises; in the pollution of traditional territories by extractive industries; in the lack of progress with the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, etc. 

The partners of Pimachiowin Aki did incredible work.

Coloniality is not just in Canada—those unequal power relations are everywhere. Another example of coloniality lies in the World Heritage processes which operated during the Pimachiowin Aki nomination. The partners of Pimachiowin Aki did incredible work in progressing with the nomination, yet some of the World Heritage evaluation processes were extremely unfair. They reflected a very “Eurocentric” view, i.e. a Western mindset which disrespected the worldviews of the First Nations. However, the Pimachiowin Aki partners persisted with the World Heritage bid, showing incredible resilience and determination. As a result, the World Heritage Committee made positive changes to ensure a more sensitive approach that better recognises the importance of supporting Indigenous Peoples. 

It is important that researchers recognise they are not the expert. Rather they should listen and learn.

b) Respectful research—how did you approach your responsibility as a researcher working with communities who’ve often been studied but not listened to/ignored or misrepresented?

I was very aware that as an outsider I have very little knowledge about the lives and experiences of the Anishinaabe communities of Pimachiowin Aki. It is important that researchers recognise they are not the expert. Rather they should listen and learn. They should acknowledge the immense privilege of working with Indigenous communities. They need to act with humility and ensure Indigenous Peoples’ priorities are the real priority, not what the researcher may have in mind. Researchers should support of the goals of Indigenous communities. The Anishinaabe communities deserve recognition and absolute respect for all they have done at Pimachiowin Aki. To make sure I wasn’t misrepresenting anything, I sent copies of anything I wrote about Pimachiowin Aki to the Board for approval. I have also committed to making sure the stories and experiences of Pimachiowin Aki and its people are responsibly told and shared as widely as possible.

The planet is on its knees in terms of biodiversity loss and climate change.

c) Funding issues—What do they reveal about the federal government’s broader commitments to Indigenous-led conservation?

A huge issue for Pimachiowin Aki is the lack of sustained federal funding. While the provinces supported Pimachiowin Aki in the past, it is shocking that the federal government has not provided sufficient additional support. Among other things, this would help finance activities and initiatives to protect Anishinaabe culture which is directly linked to conservation of the Boreal landscape and all beings. Because of the World Heritage Convention, the state is obliged to provide finance for the continued protection of the site. However, this globally important World Heritage site is being ignored and to me, that’s a betrayal of the First Nations. A substantial investment by the federal government towards long-term conservation of the site is imperative. I note that the federal government, at the time of Pimachiowin Aki’s World Heritage inscription, was very happy to speak of this huge achievement. The government needs to move beyond empty gestures and words.   

6. If there’s one message or insight from your research you want people to really take to heart, what would it be?

The planet is on its knees in terms of biodiversity loss and climate change. In many areas of Canada and internationally, Indigenous Peoples are doing the heavy lifting towards positive change. This is despite the continuity of appalling racism, marginalisation, oppression and environmental destruction affecting Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous leadership in protected areas conservation—and indeed land management as a whole—should be fully supported, fully respected and fully funded. This means: 

  • Centring Indigenous governance, laws and knowledges in all aspects of conservation
  • Substantial funding towards Indigenous cultural continuity, intergenerational knowledge transmission and land-based learning 
  • Respecting the constitutional, Treaty and inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples in addition to internationally ascribed rights    

Thank you, Irene. It has been wonderful to work with you.  We appreciate what you have done to effect positive change for Indigenous-led stewardship and World Heritage.

Thank you.

People and Place Names: 5 Highlights from Presenter Gerald Neufeld 

For years, Gerald Neufeld (Kaahkaapish) has been researching original names of people and places in the Pimachiowin Aki area and sharing his discoveries.  

He quoted George Orwell while presenting a slide show at the recent Pimachiowin Aki AGM in Winnipeg. “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” 

Gerald grew up in Pauingassi First Nation and has been working with his father Henry (Ochichaahkons), Elders, and community members in Pimachiowin Aki to restore “histories that have been erased through time.”

He described his research as a slow process, but one that is essential to reclaiming cultural identity and heritage. “Sometimes, it’s like molasses in January to figure this out,” he said. 

Gerald with his father Henry (Ochichaahkons) at the Pimachiowin Aki AGM. © Bruce Bremner

He said his discoveries are made possible by the earlier work of anthropologist A. Irving Hallowell, who visited the Berens River Ojibwe in the 1930s and Gary Butikofer, who taught at Poplar Hill Development School in the 1970s.    

Here’s what we learned from his presentation:

1. Lakes near Little Grand Rapids were named after aircraft 
 

Ingenium Archives, Ken Molson Fonds, KM-08049, http://collection.ingeniumcanada.org/en/id/KM-08049/

Vickers Viking amphibian aircraft first arrived in Canada in 1922 and in the years following, “planes were active in the [Pimachiowin Aki] area,” said Gerald. “We can see that lakes near Little Grand Rapids were named after them,” he said while pointing out four lakes on a map:

  • Viking Lake
  • Vickers Lake
  • Amphibian Lake
  • Hangar Lake
Photo: map custom made for Gerald by Province of Manitoba 

More Lake Names 

If you click this link and scroll down to page 17, you’ll find a long list of Manitoba lakes in alphabetical order with details on who or what they were named after. The list includes English and Indigenous names. Examples:

Abraham Lake (64 A/9) North of Split Lake. CPCGN records (1975) indicated this to have been named after Abraham Wavey who trapped in this area years ago.

Ameekwanis Lake (64 K/13) Northeast of Reindeer Lake. A Cree name meaning small spoon.

Amphibian Lake (52 M/13) West of Family Lake. Named in 1926 after the type of aircraft used in photographing the area (Douglas 1933).

Kosapachekaywinasinne (64 C/7) Locality southeast of Lynn Lake. CPCGN records (1979) indicated that this name was Cree meaning looking inside rock. Apparently old people used to go to this place to see into the future.

Kokasanakaw River (53 M/8) Flows northeast into Swampy Lake. A local Cree name meaning lots of fish.

Makataysip Lake (53 D/14) Southeast of Gunisao Lake. A local Saulteaux name meaning black duck.

 Makatiko Lake (62 P/9) North of the Bloodvein River. CPCGN records (1978) indicated it to be a local Native name meaning crippled deer.

Vickers Lake (52 M/13) On Pigeon River west of Family Lake. GBC records (1926) indicated that the name was adopted over the common local name Goose Lake. It was the name of the company that manufactured the aircraft used to photograph the area. Goose Lake had been recorded on maps from possibly A. Graham (post 1771; HBC) onwards, although often in the wrong position. GBC correspondence (1929; from the Hudson’s Bay Company) listed the local name Big Goose Lake.

2. Aircraft Changed How Maps Were Made

Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3643612

“This is Amphibian Lake. There’s the airplane, there’s the flying boat, and there’s the camera. They would take photograph after photograph—boom, boom, boom, as they flew along—and they would give that to the mapmakers.”

By using photos taken from the sky, mapmakers were able to create maps that were more accurate and detailed. Gerald described a photo from a 1924 aerial survey, showing the Bloodvein River.

“It is hard to see much here but I circled an area that shows some white spots. You have to look closely, but I think these spots may be dwellings.”


Bloodvein Aerial Photo, Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada, marked up by Gerald

“That’s what people lived in back in the day. These white tents are dwellings.”


Little Grand Rapids, 1925, J.W. Pierce, DLS  

3. Maps changed how people traveled

The ability to map the area from the sky was a significant technological leap, but the shift also led to a disconnect from the traditional ways that people identified and traveled the land.

“In earlier years, people from the area travelled east-west along the Berens and Bloodvein rivers,” said Gerald. “The rivers were the primary passageways.” Gerald explained that several factors disrupted this over time.

The slow growth of change began with the assignment of the Manitoba-Ontario boundary in 1912. This was followed by the introduction of aircraft. Also, Manitoba and Ontario no longer shared responsibilities for communities. “Eventually, Education and Health services expanded according to provincial jurisdiction,” said Gerald.  

“Over time, commercial airplane operations and transportation routes were established, and these ran north-south. Travel increased immensely since then, but east-west travel is almost non-existent. Also, we have transitioned from light-weight, birch bark canoes to heavier alumunium boats with larger motors. These boats are heavy and much more difficult to portage, making the use of traditional travel routes difficult.”

4. Pikangikum residents named the first-ever plane to land there Big Duck  

Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada

“This photo was taken on July 31, 1922. The G-CYBT made a trip to Kenora and got lost along the way and landed in Pikangikum. There were no maps. Whenever they’d see somebody on the water, pilots would land and ask them to draw a map. Can you imagine flying a big airplane like this and just working off a hastily drawn sketch that has no landmarks? Well, they’d get lost again and they would land again…”

The momentous event of seeing a plane land for the first time is still remembered in the oral histories of Pikangikum residents, said Gerald. “They talk about how afraid they were when this huge gichi zhiishiib, meaning Big Duck, landed. The aircraft was a monstrosity, and it nearly sunk when it struck the only rock near the surface of the lake. They managed to get it to shore, which you see in the photo.”

T.S.10122, Library and Archives Canada

What are these women looking at?

CI [illegible]-1925, Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada

“These women are all looking to the right,” noted Gerald. “The big question is, what were they looking at?” Gerald solved the mystery by looking at photo archive numbers. 

T.S.10127, Library and Archives Canada

He explained that pilots and surveyors sent photos to different archives, so their photos were numbered differently. “The first photo was taken by a pilot. The number is illegible, but it ends in 1925. The second photo of the women was taken by a surveyor and labeled T.S.10127.”

By putting surveyor photos T.S.10122 and T.S.10127 in sequence, Gerald noted there were only four pictures in between. “It was that same day,” he concluded. “That’s what these women were looking at. They were probably seeing Big Duck, the very first airplane to land in their area.”

Gerald credits a small group of researchers for helping him “figure this out.” He says, “Their guidance has advanced my understanding of all the activity around airplanes, surveying, etc.” 

5. A special treaty list reveals who was standing in line together

Gerald presented Treaty Lists and colonial practices that shaped how local Anishinaabe names were documented and changed. 

Blood Vein River Treaty List

Source: Government of Canada Library and Archives

Here, by 1876, they call it Blood Vein River,” said Gerald, as he pointed to the top left of the pay sheet. “Until around 1820, it was named Blood River, and now it’s Blood Vein River. So something happened in there. I don’t know what it is.”

Gerald turned his attention to the 18 names listed on the sheet. “These are Anishinaabe names. At the top of this list is a prominent name, Sagachiwayas, who was the chief,” said Gerald. “He was also known as Peter Stoney. We know that from a different document.”

Sagachiwayas had also collected treaty in 1875 when Treaty 5 was signed at Berens River, said Gerald. “The names with red dots beside them had collected treaty elsewhere, so they weren’t allowed to negotiate this treaty. Only six people on this list, the ones with green dots, were permitted to negotiate the treaty.”

The other ones had already all collected at either Berens River or at Lac Seul (Lac). 

Lac Seul Treaty List

The names on the treaty pay list for Lac Seul in 1874 (below) are familiar, said Gerald.

Source: Government of Canada Library and Archives

“These are Upper Berens people for the most part, along with [Kisikakishik (#46 in L.S. list and #6 In B.V. list] who’s from Bloodvein. [Oshkineegee #44 In L.S. and #22 in Sandy Narrows list] is from Little Grand. [Kackeekaiwayweetung #36 In L.S. list and #20 on Sandy Narrows list] is from Pauingassi. And the rest are all from Pikangikum and Poplar Hill.”

Sandy Narrows of the Berens River Treaty List

Gerald emphasized the importance of the Sandy Narrows of the Berens River list. 

Source: Government of Canada Library and Archives

“This was the first time these names got recorded formally,” he explained. Gerald said the list is unique in its accuracy. It is based on Anishinaabe clan names.

“What happened here is that people acted as we do today. When you’re with friends or family that you’re close to, these are the people that you cluster up with in line. They were together in line for the treaty money.”

Gerald pointed out the names of people who were standing together. “Ayasa #5 (also known as Naamiwan, or Fairwind fm Pauingassi)was the son of Shenawakoshkank #6. Newepeenoukumwekwape #4 was another one. He is the brother-in-law to Ayaasa #5 and son-in-law to Shenawakoshkank #6. They’re all very close together. When you get down further, these are all the Pikangikum and Poplar Hill people. So that’s how they clustered up. And that’s just human nature.”

But the traditional Anishinaabe system of lining up based on the strength of kinship ties was soon lost.  

“The British were a very regimented people,” noted Gerald. “They were very orderly. They liked things done in a certain way. After that year, people were lined up alphabetically according to the sound of their last name. And after 1891, they were lined up alphabetically according to the English, Scottish, and French names imposed on them.” 

The impact of this erasure (loss of the knowledge of clans) continues to affect families, communities, and their connection to the land.

“People have forgotten their history. They’ve forgotten their relationships because it all changed from the traditional Anishinaabe names in the clan system.” 

With traditional names having “disappeared off the map,” Gerald now uses “forensic strategies” to track the lineage of community members in Pimachiowin Aki. 

His message is clear: remembering the past is crucial to understanding the present, and preserving ancestral connections is vital for future generations.

5 Animal Track Patterns to Spot This Winter

Ever since November, when snow fell in Bloodvein River First Nation and was here to stay, Guardian Melba Green has been following animal tracks to gain clues about their winter activities, habitats, and movements.

“It’s good to see tracks. It means the animals live here, too, and walk among us. They are exploring and hunting. They roam alone or in packs.”

Bloodvein River First Nation Guardian Melba Green

Tracks are intriguing

“I like to think about what the animal was doing and why, based on its tracks,” Melba says.

Tracks might tell you if a fox chased a hare, whether the hare reached safety, or if a kill was made. Sometimes you can see that an animal has sped up in the snow, suggesting it was spooked. Some tracks leave you wondering. Such as, why did the squirrel turn around and head back up the tree? Did it sense a predator nearby? Or, what is this mark in the snow beside the lynx tracks? Was the lynx dragging prey from its mouth?

“It’s best to go tracking after a snowstorm,” says Melba. This is when snow is fresh and animals are out in search of food. “Old tracks are harder to identify.”


Look for tracks when snow is fresh.

Track Patterns

Melba notes that different animals move in different ways. The animal’s track pattern is the biggest clue and first thing she looks for, she says. Here are five track patterns to spot this winter.

Identify the track pattern first.

1. Hoppers

Snowshoe hare, mouse, red squirrel

The snowshoe hare’s back legs swing forward as it hops

Hoppers usually have back legs that are bigger than their front legs. When the animal hops, its front feet land first, then its back feet swing forward and land in front of the front feet.

What to look for: Clumps of four prints

Snowshoe hare tracks showing how the back feet land in front of the front feet.
Snowshoe hare tracks © Colin Owens

2. Bounders

Mink, otter, marten, weasel

Weasel in mid bound through snow. The weasel lands on its front feet. When it bounds forward again, its back feet will land where its front feet currently are.

Bounders usually have long bodies and short legs that are all the same size. When the animal moves forward, its front feet are down. In a single motion, it lifts its front feet and pushes off with its back feet. The back feet land almost exactly where the front feet were.

What to look for: Two prints side by side, with one print slightly in front of the other (it looks almost as though the animal was hopping on two feet)

Weasel tracks showing sets of prints where its back feet land on top of the print made by its front feet.
Otter © Ōtake Hidehiro
Tracks left by an otter sliding on its belly across the snow. © Ōtake Hidehiro

3. Waddlers

Bear, beaver, muskrat, porcupine, skunk, woodchuck

Muskrat in spring © Melba Green

Waddlers usually have short legs and shift their bodies side to side as they walk, dragging their bellies. Their front and back legs move together on one side of their body, then the other side. All four prints land in separate spots.

What to look for: A front and back print next to each other, on each side

Bear tracks with lines showing how its body sways side to side as it walks/waddles.

Bears occasionally wake up and move around during winter.

4. Zig-Zaggers

Lynx, fox, moose, timber wolf woodland caribou 

Notice the woodland caribou in stride on the far right . Its back right foot has just landed where its front foot was. © Ōtake Hidehiro

Zig-zaggers usually have long legs. When the animal moves forward, the print from its back foot lands on top of (or very close to) the front print.

What to look for: Single tracks in a straight or slightly zig-zagged line

Woodland caribou tracks, showing how zig-zaggers create a straight line by stepping on top of their own tracks.
Woodland caribou travel in herds. © Ōtake Hidehiro
Lynx are zig-zaggers, also known as perfect walkers – they step on top of their own tracks
Tracks of lynx in the snow

5. Snow Angel

Eagle, owl

Owl snow angel © Ōtake Hidehiro

Birds of prey touch down to capture their prey. You can usually see the tracks of a small mammal moving toward the print and messy snow in the centre of the print, where the bird gripped the prey with its talons. 

What to look for: Wing, tail and talon marks, and tracks made by prey

Track Like a Guardian!

What animal made the tracks you see? Once you identify the track pattern, ask yourself these 10 questions to narrow down your list:

  1. What animals live in the area?
  2. Where are the tracks—such as an open area, riverbank or forest—and what animals tend to inhabit or travel through here?
  3. What shape is the track?
  4. How large is the track?
  5. Does the animal have webbed feet, hooves or foot pads?
  6. How many toes do I see?
  7. Does the track have claw marks?
  8. Is the track deep or shallow (the heavier the animal, the deeper the tracks)?
  9. Is scat nearby and does it tell me if the animal is a plant eater (pellet-like scat) or meat eater (tube-like scat)?
  10. Are there any other clues, like multiple tracks indicating that the animal travels in a pack or herd, fuzzy tracks caused by fur between the animal’s toes, or signs of a tail dragging through snow?

The Challenge of Identifying Animal Prints in Snow

Animal prints in snow are often unidentifiable—they may be too deep, fuzzy, melted, blown over, or lack detail—but it’s still fun to look for clues and do your best to narrow down which animals walk among us. Enjoy spotting track patterns this winter!

These deep and undefined tracks were likely made by a zig-zagger but are difficult to identify with certainty. © Melba Green
These tracks appear to be made by a bounder. © Melba Green
Multiple clues indicate that foxes were here: zig-zag track pattern, roughly 2″ x 2″ print size, multiple tracks (foxes live in social groups). © Melba Green
Multiple clues indicate that an otter was here: two prints side by side, snow slide trail, and a hole in the snow. © Melba Green
What do these clues tell you? © Melba Green

Feature photo: © Ōtake Hidehiro

An Ethical Fall Moose Harvest

As the fall moose harvest approaches, Pimachiowin Aki wants to remind community members and all hunters to help Guardians during this busy time. If you see any waste, reckless hunting, or hunters being disrespectful, tell your Guardian. Guardians will, in turn, report concerns to their communities and to provincial staff.

Moose Population

Pimachiowin Aki is communicating with our provincial government partners to renew our working relationship and talk about the moose population and concerns about harvesting.

“We want to be part of the decision-making process. We want to be part of the consultation and plans,” says Pimachiowin Aki Director William Young, Bloodvein River First Nation.

Having conversations and sharing information with government partners will allow us to make the best decisions for the moose, adds Pimachiowin Aki Executive Director Alison Haugh. “How are moose doing in the area? Do we need to close areas or limit the hunt because moose are not doing well? If they are not doing well, is it due to habitat or hunting pressure? These are important answers to have.”

Watch for updates on our work with wildlife and habitat.

Did You Know?

Most of Pimachiowin Aki is caribou habitat, but because of the wildfire cycle, we could see more moose in five to 10 years from now. 

infographic denting 100 years of resources following a wildfire

Photo: Ōtake Hidehiro

Oral History Recordings – Drum Dance Ceremony and Interview with Little Grand Rapids First Nation Medicine Man William Bones Leveque

A Pimachiowin Aki Director learned years ago that an interview with Little Grand Rapids First Nation medicine man William Bones Leveque was recorded in the 1960s.

 “I read about the interview in the Hudson Bay Company (HBC) records when we did a history project at school for the community,” says the Director for Little Grand Rapids First Nation.

He has wanted to hear the recordings ever since. It was his idea to find the recordings and share them with the people of Pimachiowin Aki.  

The recordings (below) are part of a collection of film and sound recordings that were either created or acquired by HBC.

Learn more about the Hudson’s Bay Company film, video and sound collection

Feature Photo: William Bones Leveque answering questions for tape recorder operated by Don Ferguson 
Photographer: Don Ferguson, 2 July 1963
Don Ferguson fonds, Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba

HBCA-T7-1

Little Grand Rapids [drum dance ceremony and interviews with medicine man William Bones Levesque, interpreter David Duck and HBC employee Walter Moar], [Moccasin Telegraph, Fall/Winter 1963]


HBCA-T7-2

Part two of an oral interview with HBC employee Walter Moar. See transcript below.


HBCA-T7-2 Transcript

Transcribed to the best of our ability.

[Speaker 1] Interviewer Don Ferguson (HBC employee)
[Speaker 2] Interpreter Walter Moar (HBC employee)
[Speaker 3] Unknown
[Speaker 4] Unknown

Relocation after the store burned down

[Speaker 1] (0:00) When did they move over to the other location?

Inaudible

[Speaker 1] Why did they move over there?

[Speaker 2] Well, they figured, they see, when the store burned out here, because they had hard time to come across here, see, with the water, because the water’s always open

Click here for full transcript

[Speaker 1]  I see.

[Speaker 2] (0:27) They have to go around. When they put the store out there, see, they can go in right there.

[Speaker 1] Right

[Speaker 2] Even the airplane couldn’t land here, they have to go around before they can get a mail.

[Speaker 1] I see, and that’s why they moved across.

[Speaker 2] I think that’s what they had to do.

[Speaker 1] I see. And then, um, uh, they just let these buildings go after that, didn’t they?

[Speaker 2] Yeah, yeah.

[Speaker 1] But they burned out, the store burned down, eh?

[Speaker 2] Yeah, yeah. The store burned down and then they built the other one across.

[Speaker 1] I see.

[Speaker 2] This one was… I’ve got this one. They tear it down, they leave boards.

[Speaker 1] Yeah, yeah.

[Speaker 3] Inaudible

[Speaker 2] 01:15 No, no. I think it’s the first one was used by my grandfather, Tony Moar.

[Speaker 1] This is the one that’s still left.

[Speaker 2] Yes. Tony Moar, yeah. 

[Speakers] Inaudible  

[Speaker 1] 01:28 But, uh, Walter says that they first established at Moar Lake. I didn’t know that. Uh, the first store, and then they came here, and then over to the present site.

[Speaker 3] Inaudible

Moving goods by canoe

[Speaker 2] 1:58 This would be after the Berens River. Well, I guess that’s what they said. They got energy from the Berens River to Moar Lake, and they hauled it in by canoe.

[Speaker 1] 2:20 Can you come from Berens River to here now without a portage?

[Speaker 2] No, no, not a portage. Without a portage is…

[Speaker 1] Fifty-two. Fifty-two…

[Speaker 2] Yeah, we used to haul it straight.

[Speaker 1] You were a boy back then.

[Speaker 2] Yeah, when I was a young boy, yeah. I used to haul it straight to the Berens River.

[Speaker 1] Oh, yeah.

[Speaker 2] 2:47 Well, before they moved, they had a tractor over here. They’d bring the stuff by the tractor to here, see?

[Speaker 3] Oh, yes.

[Speaker 2] And after that, they moved across.

[Speaker 1] I see.

[Speaker 2] That was before we used to haul it by canoe. About 1,500 pounds in each canoe.

[Speaker 1] I see.

[Speaker 2] Too many.

[Speaker 3] And you carried 90-pound packs like they used to carry all day?

[Speaker 2] 3:16 Oh, yeah. Some of them carried 400 pounds in a bag.

[Speaker 1] That’s bags of flour.

[Speaker 2] Yeah.

Inaudible

[Speaker 2] Get a few lynx, too. Beavers, birds.

Then and now

[Speaker 1] 3:42 Are the people better off now, would you say, than they were, say, 15 years, 20 years ago?

[Speaker 2] Well, first, I think they have a little bit of family allowance, but before they never had family allowance, not in 20 years ago.

[Speaker 1] They’re getting more income and everything now…

Inaudible

[Speaker 1] … and they’re better health-wise, would you say?

[Speaker 2] I think so. I think so.

[Speaker 1] 4:10 Like, with the nursing station being here?

[Speaker 2] It was a long time ago, nobody ever got sick. I never knew. And I never knew (inaudible) long time ago.

[Speaker 1] Mm-hmm. Well, that’s unusual, because there used to be a lot of people go out every Treaty time, didn’t there?

[Speaker 2] Yeah, yeah. But now…

[Speaker 3] The people they have to learn (inaudible).

Trading with Pauingassi

[Speaker 1] 4:43 What about the Pauingassi crowd? What’s happened there?

[Speaker 2] Well, you see, they belong to this Indian reserve. They belong to this reserve.

[Speaker 1] Yeah.

[Speaker 1]  They stay out there, see, because they got the better fishing out there. They eat fish, see. (inaudible)

[Speaker 1] 4:54 I see. I understand they don’t like the people here.

[Speaker 2] I don’t think so. Well, I don’t know much about that… (laughs)

[Speaker 1] Well, what do they do as far as trading, Walter, is concerned?

[Speaker 2] Well, they come down here to…

[Speaker 1] Oh, I see. They would come down once a week, or once every two weeks, you tell me.

Inaudible

Commercial Fishing

[Speaker 1] Oh, I see. I see. Well, Pete Lazarenko was in here commercial fishing, wasn’t he?

[Speaker 2] Yeah, he was, he was, he was… well, in the fall; every fall, October.

[Speaker 1] Oh, I see. Late fall, eh?

[Speaker 2] Yeah, late in the fall.

[Speaker 1] 5:44 And does he take fish right in the, in Berens River, or…

[Speaker 2] Oh, yeah, they take fish in this lake, and they take fish in this fishing lake.

[Speaker 1] I see.

[Speaker 2] In this lake.

[Speaker 1] Tracy’s up there now, is he?

[Speaker 2] 5:54 Yeah, Tracy’s out there. He’s got lots of… (inaudible)

[Speaker 1] Is he getting any business, any customers up there yet?

[Speaker 2] Yeah, he’s got a few now.

[Speaker 1] He has, eh?

[Speaker 2] Yeah.

[Speaker 1] I see.

[Speaker 3] It’s quite early, too. They only opened… (inaudible)

[Speaker 2] Oh, yeah. Oh, yes.

Inaudible

[Speaker 2] Sometimes rain, cloud. They never got wet.

Agriculture

[Speaker 1] 6:28 Oh, I see. So they, that’s another reason why they kept, moved across, eh?

[Speaker 2] Yeah. Yeah (inaudible). Another one way out there. Gardens.That was my grandfather’s here. Potatoes. He had lots of rhubarb.

[Speaker 1] Rhubarb.

[Speaker 2] Oh, yeah. Everything, they had here.

[Speaker 1] Oh, yeah.

[Speaker 2] They had two horses here.

Inaudible

[Speaker 3] 7:04 Well, they usually have many horses in this part of the country, right?

[Speaker 2] And since when we went out to Berens River, no more horses.

[Speaker 1] No.

Inaudible

Waste Disposal Practices

[Speaker 1] This is still the, the path, like, that they used to come up on, eh? And they hump the flour on their back coming up here. Walter, do you know where the garbage dump was, where they threw the garbage and that?

[Speaker 2] Oh, it was way up in the bank there.

[Speaker 1] I see. Doctor, uh, Walter was saying that their refuse disposal was way behind the house there. That might have been an interesting spot to look into.

[Speaker 2] Oh, yeah. Well, everything, they must have… they bury everything. See, they dig down the hole and they throw everything in there.

[Speaker 1] Is that, that was how they used it, eh? They buried all the garbage?

[Speaker 2] They buried out all that stuff in their cans and all that stuff.

Trading a Double Barrel for a Single Barrel

[Speaker 4] 08:13 Warden Crone, the manager, was at Pukatawagan.

[Speaker 1] Oh, yeah.

[Speaker 4] And he got it from, eh, in Dillon… Dillon, Saskatchewan.

[Speaker 1] 08:20 Oh, yeah.

[Speaker 4] 08:13 And I had, I got a double barrel. See, I got a double barrel in Pukatawagan and I traded him plus ten dollars for this single barrel.

[Speaker 1]  Oh, I see.

[Speaker 4]  But the double barrel, they sawed it off, you see. It was a sawed-off shotgun, just like it. So I wouldn’t, you know, this was in bad condition. I’ve got it at the post office.

[Speaker 1] Yeah, I’d like to have a look at it when we get back.

[Speaker 3] (inaudible)

Gallery

Photo Galleries

Photographer: Ōtake Hidehiro, May 2024
Keeper of the William Bones Leveque drum: Carlisle (Car Leslie) Bushie

Don Ferguson fonds (1987/273). Photographer: Don Ferguson, 2 July 1963
Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba 




William Bones Leveque with pipe
William Bones Leveque, medicine man, singing. Full name, according to Nurse Lowry: Flatstone Jackfish Whiskyjack Joseph William Bones Leveque, known as ‘William Bones’



William Bones Leveque (with pipe) and Chief Sam Bushie






Observers. David Duck holding baby on left 
Women dancing anticlockwise circling drum in small step and dip: 1. Louise Leveque; 2. Sarah Leveque; 3. Frances Bascombe; 4. Marion Eaglestick 



Extreme left David Duck with 4 men dancing. At drum L to R: Bones, Bascombe, Bushie, Keeper. 4 women dancing: Louise Leveque, Sarah Leveque, Frances Bascombe, Marion Eaglestick



David Duck (interpreter on the left) and Robertson (photographer in back)
Observers



HBC post buildings 



Bill Mayer Oakes 



Remains of old HBC post across river from present post 
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is HBCA-1987-273-022-1-1020x1024.jpg



Cemetery at Little Grand Rapids 



In stern of boat Eric Dranthee, post manager Little Grand Rapids, clerk (only stayed 10 months with Company) Barry Tuckett 

Hudson’s Bay House Photo Collection
Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba 

Little Grand Rapids HBC post, July 1963
William Bones Leveque (left), Little Grand Rapids, July 1963
William Bones Leveque (left), Little Grand Rapids, July 1963
William Bones Leveque (centre), Little Grand Rapids, July 1963
Little Grand Rapids HBC post buildings, 1967. Photographer: George Hunter
Little Grand Rapids HBC post, 1967. Photographer: George Hunter

Thank you to the Pimachiowin Aki Director for Little Grand Rapids First Nation for your efforts to connect people of Pimachiowin Aki with our cultural heritage. Thank you also to drum keeper Carlisle Bushie and photographer Ōtake Hidehiro for making it possible for us to share images of the William Bones Leveque drum today, and to the staff of the Archives of Manitoba for providing Pimachiowin Aki with digitized copies of the audio recordings and photographs donated to the Archives.

Lessons in Ojibwe – Tips and Fast Facts


This is part two of a two-part interview with educator Jason Jones. Read more from Jason in our past newsletter.

1. Let’s get straight to a few fast facts about Ojibwe. There’s no F in the Ojibwe alphabet?

There’s also no Q, R, U, V or X. The alphabet has 17 consonants and seven vowels, including double vowels:

  • b, ch, d, g, h, j, k, m, n, p, s, sh, t, w, y, z, zh
  • a, aa, e, i, ii, o, oo

2.  Also, what is the ‘ called and how is it used in Ojibwe?

This is called glottal stop, a sudden stop in speech. I don’t think English language has this sound.


Omagakee’ominitik or omakakii’ominiti
(a reef where there are frogs)
Wawezhi’onan (dance capes)

Examples of the glottal stop in use

3. Ojibwe words have special categories, like animate/living and inanimate/nonliving. What is animate, what is inanimate, and how do you tell?

If you don’t understand, ask someone to pluralize the word – if it ends in G/K, it’s animate. If it ends in N, it’s inanimate after you pluralize it. Sometimes we may look too far into this concept and ask why something is considered alive or not alive. It simply has to be one or the other.

Mazina’igan (book) is inanimate. I see it. If I see a mashkikiwinini (person) or Animosh (pet), I see him or her.

When talking about mitigoog (trees), it’s him or her, not it. We see trees as animate and alive. There are spirits inside there. Asiniig (rocks) are animate. Mishoomisaabikwag (Grandfather rocks) are alive and need to be respected.

4. What about fruits and vegetables? Are they animate or inanimate?

It gets a little complicated when you talk about fruits and vegetables. Some are alive and some are not – miskominag (raspberries) are animate and miinan (blueberries) are inanimate.

Photo: Ōtake Hidehiro

5. Do you know the reason for this?

The closest I can get is that raspberries have seeds. Another interesting one is that mikwam (ice) is animate, nibi (water) is inanimate.

In Manitoba and Ontario, odaabaanan (vehicles) are inanimate. But if you go down south to Minnesota, they’re animate, odaabaanag.

It leads me down this tunnel wondering why. But Elders have told me that it’s just the way it is. It has to be one or the other. Some things have culture built into them, as to why they are animate, like when we mentioned rocks and trees.

6. How is respect is built into the language?

When we’re in a crowd, or we have the microphone, we usually have a humbling statement. I hear this often with Elders. They’ll even acknowledge everyone by saying, “Hello my relatives” because were all related; we all have the same mother – mother earth.


Boozhoo nindinawemaaganag

Mother earth

Another example is that Katakosign giizis is a month that teaches how to be respectful. In our area it’s spelled Gaa-dakoozid giizis and means February. Its literal translation is “the one that is being short, month,” in reference to the number of days in the month. But to take it one step further, we know that other cultures have this as the shortest month – our speakers named it after that because they wanted to show respect to other cultures. When we see these names of the months, we can see our speakers/ancestors recognizing other cultures, which is through respect. This is what I mean when I say “respect is built into the language.”

Also, there are no swear words in Ojibwe/Anishinaabemowin, so right off the bat there’s respect that’s built in there.

7. How do people express themselves in place of swear words?

People call each other bad words by using body part words. They’re not swear words, but probably the closest you can get to swearing. There are other words one can use as well, most of them are visual words though. Most of the time, when one says bad words to someone, it ends in laughter.  

8. Today, many people use miigwech to say thank you. But the word meant something different before. What’s the story behind this?

It’s actually two different words coming together:

  • mii – thus/that
  • gwech – sufficient

A long time ago, Anishinaabeg changed with the times. When we traded with the French, the going rate was a bundle of muskets for a pile of pelts. They were stacked up equally. However high the muskets were was how high the pelts were. When asked, “Mii,mii…gwech, gwech (Is that sufficient)?” the French people thought we said thank you, thank you …. Over time it got figured out. It’s how we came to understand each other, and it stuck.

9. You explained in Part I of our interview that culture is built into the language. They’re inseparable. Can you give us examples of what the language reflects?

a) How natural and dream worlds are perceived
The Creator is constantly trying to communicate with us. We usually put tobacco out and ask for help or guidance, then we pay attention and watch. There was this constellation my grandma told me about called “aatawaamoog.” I could see it in my head, but I couldn’t think of its English name, so I asked out loud, “What is this word in English, I forget?” The next day, I’m standing in line at Safeway and two ladies in front of me started talking about stars. I took my headphones off to listen. Then they said, “Orien’s Belt” and the lightbulb went off in my head and I got my answer. I’d recommend people to try this out – just say things out loud, then wait to see what happens. 

Photo: Ōtake Hidehiro

b) How animals and plants are understood
These are our teachers. We can learn a lot from animals and plants if we pay attention to them. They have so much love for us. When we see a shrew/mole it’s usually a bad sign that someone is going to pass away. But I see it as a good sign, like that animal knows what’s coming and is giving us the heads up, so we can say our last goodbyes to our loved ones. It also reminds us to love one another while we’re here.

Sage plant has things as well, we just have to look more closely. When it gets stepped on or bent, it stays that way until you see it the next day; it’s back to its normal erect state. It’s showing us it can repair itself, and we too have that ability. It could be as easy as telling your body soul spirit to help fix your knee or back problems and it will do its best to help. It’s the same thing with mental health – if we create that way of resetting our minds and giving things a day or two, then we can reset ourselves, much like the sage plant does when it gets stepped on. That’s what it’s trying to show us.

c) How hunting and other practices are expressed  
We see hunting a bit different than Western views. For me, I see the spirit of the deer guiding the bullet to hit the deer and not me, the hunter, shooting him. He’s giving his life so we can live and be healthy. We have to do our part and not waste the meat or talk bad about the animal. His spirit is watching us while we cut him up and he can hear us. That’s why we hear Elders constantly saying thank you or talking highly of him while skinning. 

10. In Anishinaabemowin there no words for ownership and no words for goodbye. How is this a reflection of Anishinaabe values and beliefs?

I guess there are some ownership words. Mostly with family members we see this, like father or mother – they have to belong to someone, so it’s either nindede or nimaamaa for my father or mother. The word parts are dede and maamaa but we won’t see them on their own, they have to have ownership on them. 

Some might say “giga-waabamin” or “baamaa” for goodbye but all it means is, “I will see you (in the future)” or “later.” We truly can’t say goodbye to someone because that would mean we won’t see them any longer, and this gets into death, which can’t happen in our culture. We believe that we are spirits, having a physical experience right now, but we’ll go back to spirit at some time. 

11. Anishinaabeg need language to understand the land. As a language expert for IISD, you translate research on climate change into Anishinaabemowin. What significant lesson has Anishinaabemowin taught you about the land?

The language taught me that much of what we see around us is very much alive.  Also, our language is alive and has the ability to create new words. It is growing and has room for the future, and future words/terms. It comes back to that idea of everything is energy in motion. Our language is moving forward.

12. Eighty percent of people in Pimachiowin Aki speak Anishinaabemowin. What does this mean to you at a time when Indigenous languages around the world are at risk of disappearing? 

Photo: Ōtake Hidehiro

It gives us hope. Most places aren’t as lucky as here. Some communities have lost all their language speakers. I think we’re starting to turn things around – more and more people are talking about the language now and realizing the importance of it. 

13. Here are more words used in Pimachiowin Aki. What can you tell us about them?

a) Gaagige bimosemagan (It exists and travels through eternity)

  • gaagige means for every
  • bim – goes along
  • ose – walks
  • magan turns it into intransitive verb. The thing walks along forever. 

The thing with Ojibwe is, it opens up the meaning of words to mean more than one thing, whereas English tries to narrow things down to one or two meanings. That’s why the translation means “it exists and travels through eternity.” It’s trying to get us to visualize the language and see it. That’s what those smaller word parts do. 

b) Geeminizahgeegink (the land to grow beautifully)
I see “creating an image” that looks nice when I say this word out loud. 

c) Akiiwigikendamowining (Anishinaabe land-based knowledge) 

  • akii- land/earth
  • wi – turns noun to verb
  • gikendamaw (or gikendamow) – is to know  
  • win – turns verb back into noun
  • ing- in/at/ by something

In English, it sounds simple, like knowing the animate land. But the word parts allow us to see this in action, and what we see is where a better translation comes in – we see the land being known. 

Photo: Ōtake Hidehiro

14. Where can people find your lessons to learn Ojibwe and connect to their cultural heritage?

Sayitfirst.ca has much of our books, wakingupojibwe.ca is where I’ve been putting resources. Both of these will help with language. 

Lessons in Ojibwe – Language That Comes From the Land (Part I)
Read Part I of our interview with Jason.