Rick Garrick — Wawatay News

Ginoogaming’s Joan Esquega is focused on a teaching career after graduating from Lakehead University’s Honours Bachelor of Education (Aboriginal) primary-junior program.
“My ultimate goal is to get hired by one of the school boards in (Thunder Bay),” Esquega said. “I actually wouldn’t mind getting on as a Native language instructor.”

Grassy Narrows’ Judy Da Silva has been honoured with a German peace prize for her grassroots activism.
“It was really amazing because it came from Germany, on the other side of the world,” Da Silva said about the award on June 6, after returning from a 22-day trip to Germany. “And from a whole group of people I never thought it would come from.”

Grassy Narrows’ Brenda Kejick doesn’t just do traditional artwork, she also produces artwork on her client’s clothing.
“She asked me to do her jacket and I kind of knew what I wanted to put on her jacket — butterflies and a bear claw because her Indian name is Bear Claw,” Kejick said, pointing out the design on her friend’s jacket. “Sometimes these paintings are based on planning or dancers or visions.”
Kejick began doing art as a young child and has since followed in the footsteps of her father, who was a well-known artist in the Kenora area.

Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug’s plan to host 25 Canadians for a week concluding on June 21 highlights this year’s National Aboriginal Day celebrations in northern Ontario.
“Our youth are taking the lead on trying to promote KI in regards to bringing in visitors,” said KI Chief Donny Morris. “There are quite a few visitors, one of them I hear is the lieutenant-governor’s wife, (Ruth Ann Onley), and those youth walkers who walked from Quebec to Ottawa.”

Four Slate Falls community members and a Sioux Lookout resident have died after their vehicle left the Slate Falls Road and entered the Brokenmouth River.
Community members Gordon Carpenter, 55, John Bighead, 23, Samantha Loon, 26, and Claudia Loon, 20, died on June 15 along with Kimberly Whiskeyjack, 23, of Sioux Lookout, after a single motor vehicle collision about 15 kilometres south of Slate Falls.
Regional Chief Stan Beardy expressed his condolences to the community, noting four of the deceased were under 27 years old.