The ‘Abi Shkaabewis’ Family Event a Success at Ojibway Park

by Ken Pashtushyn

The ‘Ojibway Abi Shkaabewis’ family event, organized by the Indigenous Youth Roots group took place at the Ojibway Park Nature Centre complex on Nov. 12. 

The five Indigenous youths who planned the event either work for the city parks department or attend the University of Windsor, which was also a sponsor of the event through their National Urban Parks Hub, The Healthy Headwaters Lab and the Indigenous Knowledge Keepers Table. 

 Translated from Ojibway to English, ‘Abi Shkaabewis’ means ‘home helpers.’ 

 A helper is a holistic practitioner at heart, and home is considered nature. The family event was an opportunity to connect with nature and ‘the Creator.’ 

Some of the children participated in an animal scavenger hunt in the woods of Ojibway Park or played with the lacrosse sticks. The duck-plucking and deer-skinning demonstrations by a knowledge helper was another popular activity for the children to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. Many of the visitors worked up an appetite for the “Indian tacos,” beef stew and corn soup which was served during the lunch break. 

The day began with a traditional smudging ceremony performed by Tracey Whiteyes, a knowledge helper whose spirit name is ‘Waabi Mkwai Kwe’ or White Bear Woman. 

Smudge is an incense-like mixture of tobacco, sage, sweetgrass and cedar concocted for you to have positive thoughts. Everyone is encouraged to fan the smoke all over our bodies as if we were taking a shower and washing away our negative energy. 

“That’s what it’s all about, the medicine and our relatives, the trees, the plants,” said Whiteyes. “Our Mothers are Earth and it gives a connection to us.” 

Whiteyes goes on to say, “When we are sick and feeling bad, this is our medicine, to help us, to guide us, to teach us.” 

And Whiteyes didn’t learn it overnight. She had to really work hard for many years under the guidance of her grandmother emphatically stating that she didn’t buy it at any store. 

To Whiteyes, it is thunderbird-medicine. It’s storytelling, it’s beautiful and it’s the way the Creator intended it to be. 

After the smudging ceremony, a guided walk through the paths of the Ojibway Prairie complex across the street from the park was led by another knowledge helper Clint Jacobs. As a part of Indigenous traditions, it is customary to acknowledge the Creator and nature, introducing yourself by your spirit name. 

For Jacobs, he is ‘Niibin Nini’ or Summer Man, and he introduces himself to all the plants and animals.  He also encouraged everyone on the guided walk to close their eyes and use their other senses.

“To see with your heart,” said Jacobs. 

Accompanying Jacobs on the guided walk was fellow knowledge helper Ron Sands whose spirit name is ‘Miskw Ninjichaag Gin Nin’ or Red Spirit Growing Man. 

 He points out the invasive broadleaf plantain plant brought to North America 500 years ago and used as snake bite medicine.   

 “Make a poultice, put it on the wound for 15 minutes,” said Sands. “It absorbs the poisons and toxins, cleans up the bacteria and it’s better than doing nothing.” 

Broadleaf plantain, which is a part of the dandelion family, is also edible, found in grocery stores and can be made into a tea to aid digestion. Another Indigenous custom is to be sure to put the plant back where you found it and, if something is taken from nature, something must be put back in return. 

“If you come across catnip,” said Sands, “it can be used if you are depressed to bring you up.” 

Both Sands and Jacobs point to the purple bergamot wildflowers and white Virginia mountain mint plants which are preventative cold and flu medicines. 

“Nature is giving up its life for us to heal,” said Jacobs. “Nature will tell you if it will be a bad cold and flu season,” if lots of these mint plants and wildflowers are in bloom, said Jacobs. 

According to Jacobs, if we see a lot of frogs in the spring, it is nature’s way of telling us to start prescribed burns on the savannah. The best time is when the grass is crispy so the tall grass, which is the backbone of an open prairie, can grow back to health. 

“The grass is fuel for the fire,”said Karen Cedar, a former head naturalist at Ojibway Park who is helping with Parks Canada to make it a national urban park, “Prairies are our best form of climate-change resiliency.” 

But climate-change, “can throw off the animals,” said Sands, who said if the beehives are on top of the tree, that means a mild winter. If the hives are in the middle, then the winter will be harsh. 

“We rely so much on insects,” said Sands. “Once we know the fireflies are gone, we start to pick the plants.” 

That is why science was combined with traditional values during the Indigenous Wetland Teachings at the Ojibway Park Pond and led by Shayenne Nolan as well as Jeff Lallean, both knowledge helpers and  Ph. D students at The Healthy Headwaters Lab. 

Lallean used the latest scientific-testing equipment along with syringes, filters, clamps, probes, mini-augers, nets and bottles to gather as well as bring back water and soil samples to the lab. Everything they noticed was recorded on a sheet of paper. 

But before the water quality testing began, Nolan put down a pinch of store-bought tobacco on the ground to show good intentions to the Creator. 

“We put down the tobacco with our left hand because it is closer to our hearts,” said Nolan. 

 Lallean added, “If you take something you have to give back something.” 

 For Nolan and Lallean, it is both art and science and it comes from years of reflection. The science part is the measurements and tools. The “spirits” parts to Nolan and Lallean is the listening and noticing.  

 “It’s being open to what you don’t know,” said Nolan.