Sewing Spirits gather in Thunder Bay

Lac des Mille Lacs grass dancer Mike Ignace was sporting a new pair of moccasins at the weekly Sewing Spirits gathering in Thunder Bay.

“About a year ago my aunt started making these for me, and I’m just working them in now,” says the Lac des Mille Lacs administrative assistant. “They just got finished tonight.”

Ignace is currently working on the beadwork for his regalia at the weekly Sewing Spirits gathering, which is held on Wednesday evenings at the West Thunder Community Centre in Thunder Bay.

“I’m working on the side drops now,” Ignace says. “My regalia has kind of been done for a couple of years, but it’s never actually done. There’s always adding, or something breaks or rips.”

Ignace began attending the Sewing Spirits gathering about four years ago. Lac des Mille Lacs began holding the gathering about five years ago as a way for community members to learn and share cultural knowledge and experience. It has since grown to include about 40 regular participants.

“When we first started it, it was very small — you had a handful of people who came out,” Ignace says. “But when you look at it now, we have people from every family in the First Nation coming out. People are sharing stories, they’re sharing all their skills. Some people are amazing beaders, some people are amazing sewers and some people have both (skills).”

Ignace says the participants share “a lot of the culture” during the gathering.

“It gives us a chance to converse with our Elders, to learn stories from their childhood,” Ignace says. “We really relate to them. It’s good to be here.”

The Sewing Spirits gathering is funded through a grant from the Ontario Arts Council as well as funding from Lac des Mille Lacs. The gathering features a variety of activities, including regalia making, traditional teachings, guest
speakers and artist demonstrations, which are held under the guidance of an Elder.

“We realized there were people in our community who wanted to have regalia and learn about dance and culture and crafts,” says Marcia Pedri, Lac des Mille Lacs’ health director. “Over the years we’ve made regalia, we’ve made star blankets, we’ve made moccasins and gauntlets and feather holders and hand drums, just to name a few.”

Lac des Mille Lacs’ Dawn May is currently working on her own women’s traditional regalia.

“And I’ve also made moccasins, gauntlet mitts, a hand drum, a jingle dress, quite a few items,” May says.

May enjoys learning about the teachings during the weekly gatherings.

“It’s bringing our community together and we’re really family oriented,” May says. “There’s a lot of love in this room. Everybody helps each other out and we have an Elder here that will start out with a prayer, drumming and a teaching.”

Lac des Mille Lacs’ Christine Halvorsen is currently working on a pair of gauntlets for her partner.

“He’s wolf clan and I’m bear, so the two unions,” Halvorsen says. “That speaks to my family and our identities in our community as well.”

Halvorsen says the gathering serves as a preservation for future generations of community members.

“The items here that we create allow us to show part of our identity and it tells a story,” Halvorsen says. “I believe that is important for future generations to continue working with.”