June 21, 2021 is the 25th national anniversary of the celebration of First Nations, Inuit and Metis heritage, diverse cultures and remarkable achievements!
Let’s take this occasion to deepen our knowledge of Indigenous peoples, but most of all to share and celebrate our rich cultural diversity.
In this context, here is a brand new short guide on the Abenaki language presenting some culturally significant words for the 𝒲𝟪𝒷𝒶𝓃𝒶𝓀𝒾𝒶𝓀𝓈.
Sharing a common interest in the protection of the natural and cultural resources of the Gault Nature Reserve, McGill University and the Grand Conseil de la Nation Waban-Aki (W8banaki) are pleased to announce a partnership agreement welcoming the Nation’s members to the site to practice their cultural activities.
This agreement grows out of a series of 52 Calls to Action that McGill established as part of its own project of recognition and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
Situated at Mont St. Hilaire, McGill University’s Gault Nature Reserve protects more than 1,000 hectares of natural forest. Mont St. Hilaire, whose Abenaki name wigw8madensis means small mountain in the shape of a house, is located on the Ndakina, the ancestral territory of the W8banaki Nation. This culturally significant space for the Abenaki has long served as a site of meeting and exchange.
The partnership agreement, in effect since January 1, 2021, establishes free access to McGill University’s Gault Nature Reserve for all members registered with the Odanak and Wôlinak communities, which make up the W8banaki Nation in Quebec. The agreement recognizes the ancestral territory and cultural value of the nature reserve to the Abenaki.
“We are pleased with the establishment of such a positive and innovative agreement” says Mr. Denys Bernard, Executive Director of the Grand Conseil de la Nation Waban-Aki.
“This is another step along the path to honouring the past and reconciling the future. A long road remains ahead of us, but we are committed to engaging and collaborating with Indigenous partners to identify, explore, and advance plans that benefit our whole society by embedding Indigenous traditions in the life and activities of the University,” says Professor Christopher Manfredi, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) of McGill University.
About the Gault Nature Reserve of McGill University
McGill University’s Gault Nature Reserve is a private reserve which protects nearly 1000 hectares of natural environment. Situated at Mont St. Hilaire approximately 40 km from Montreal, this panoramic natural landscape is ideal for viewing the last great vestiges of old-growth forests in the St. Lawrence Valley. With its 25 km of trail network, it is open 365 days a year. Affiliated with the Faculty of Science at McGill University, the Gault Nature Reserve team offers support for natural science research and teaching while providing a wide range of services to the university community and the general public.
More streamlined and current, that’s what GCNWA was aiming for when it approached the graphic design firm Onakì Création to design its brand new image. Growing from 3 employees to nearly 80, the GCNWA has undergone an impressive evolution over the past few years and we wanted our image to reflect this. So today we proudly present our new logo inspired by the word “𝐰𝟖𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐢”, which means “𝕡𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕦𝕟”.
Last April, the Abenaki Nation officially notified the federal and provincial governments of its desire to apply the Act C-92 in its entirety and thus manage all actions related to child and family services. As of January 1, 2020, federal Act C-92 explicitly recognizes the inherent right of Indigenous peoples to exercise their own jurisdiction over child and family services, including child welfare.
For almost two years now, the Odanak and Wôlinak Councils have been working to consolidate general family services, but also to integrate youth protection services into the N8wkika program.
The N8wkika program (Child and Family Services of the Abenaki Nation) has been in place for ten years now and supports families in all their needs. For a decade now, more than 200 children have benefited from individual or family follow-ups. These families have been surveyed and have stated that they would like the communities of Odanak and Wôlinak to exercise their jurisdiction and to autonomously manage all services, including youth protection.
Over the years and through daily practice, it has been clearly demonstrated that the Abenaki Nation has the skills, expertise and knowledge to support families in need. Furthermore, the resources of the Abenaki Nation hold all the traditional cultural knowledge that ensures interventions adapted to the specific needs of the children and their families. It is through holistic practice, connected to the strengths of the families and allied to the community approach that the Abenaki Nation will ensure the well-being of the children of the communities of Odanak and Wôlinak.
The collaboration between the Abenaki Nation and the Director of Youth Protection (DYP) being very constructive and knowing that the resources of the DYP themselves possess an essential expertise, Odanak and Wôlinak propose that discussions lead to a partnership that will see the Nation manage its youth protection autonomously while maintaining a close collaboration with the provincial youth protection service.
The Abenaki Nation is now at the stage of finalizing the development of legal, administrative, and clinical structures that will allow it to acquire all the resources necessary to manage all child and family services and to ensure the protection of its youth.
It is expected that by the beginning of 2023, the children of the communities of Odanak and Wôlinak will be protected by internal resources in collaboration with the provincial and federal partners who will respect the self-determination of the Abenaki Nation.
Nous sommes fiers de pouvoir mettre notre expérience à contribution afin de développer des partenariats solides dans le but de s’entraider entre Premières Nations du Québec. Nous remercions Services aux Autochtones Canada pour cette reconnaissance.
Kwaï dear members of the Nation,
You can now view online or have printed the hunting & fishing codes:
– 2021-2022 HUNTING CODE
– 2021-2022 FISHING CODE
We take this opportunity to remind you of the importance of respecting the terms and conditions indicated in these codes. Since the signing of the first version of the hunting, fishing and trapping agreement between the Government of Quebec and the Nation in 1999, there have only been a handful of incidents. This is to our credit and let’s collectively keep it that way. When in doubt about any of the terms of any of these codes, please feel free to contact me to discuss.
It is also important to remember the existence of the Abenaki Hunting and Fishing Committee. It is an apolitical committee formed by about ten Abenaki members acting as volunteers and having at heart the pursuit of traditional activities such as hunting, fishing and trapping. The committee’s mandate is to formulate recommendations related to the practice of these activities for approval by the Councils. Once approved, the recommendations are then forwarded to the follow-up committee of the hunting, fishing and trapping agreement between the Nation and the Government of Quebec or, depending on the subject, the Government of Canada. It is possible to join the committee at any time. Adjustments to the agreement can be made through comments, concerns or questions raised by the committee. Their contributions are essential to ensure that the agreement is adequate.
For any comments or questions:
Suzie O’Bomsawin
P : 819.294.1686
@ : [email protected]
Kwaï !
The GCNWA team wishes to highlight the importance of perpetuating the Abenaki language with this little guide that will help you discover different types of greetings and their pronunciation.
Did you know that as we write these few lines, there are less than 5 native Abenaki speakers? To perpetuate the language is to perpetuate the memory of our ancestors. It is to be able to understand their stories in their native language, without any discrepancies due to translation. It is to understand the songs, the legends, our millennial link to the Ndakina and more.
We feel that there is a growing interest in learning the Abenaki language and we would like to take this opportunity to share these expressions with you, as we hope that with more visibility, the desire to use it will grow.
Wliwni!
La pandémie aura permis au Grand Conseil de la Nation Waban-Aki de démontrer son savoir-faire un peu partout au Québec. Découvrez comment nous y sommes parvenus en lisant cet article du quotidien Le Nouvelliste.
First Nations Child and Family Services (SEFPN Odanak et Wôlinak) of the Grand Conseil de la Nation Waban-Aki would like to celebrate the W8banaki Nation and its roots by giving itself a name in the Abenaki language.
This is why we are proud to announce today that the social services for the families of Odanak and W8linak will now be called N8wkika (pronounced Naonwkéka) which means “to sow in the long term”.
Working for the well-being of families means making a long-term commitment – sowing seeds – and accompanying and supporting several generations who want the best for their children.
Long live N8wkika services!
Nous respectons votre vie privée.
Nous pouvons utiliser des cookies pour suivre vos préférences et vos activités sur les sites web.
sur les sites web. En utilisant et en visitant un site web, vous nous autorisez à
à utiliser des cookies sur et en dehors de ce site web. Nous utilisons des cookies sur les sites web pour :
(i) améliorer le service clientèle en ligne et la fonctionnalité des sites web ;
(ii) personnaliser le contenu des sites web ; et
(iii) offrir une expérience plus sûre.
