A three-day event dedicated to sharing Indigenous skills and traditions starts Friday evening at the Sandy-Saulteaux Spiritual Centre just east of Beausejour, Manitoba.
Called Mamawe Ota Askihk, which is Cree for “Sharing Life Together Here on Earth,” the gathering runs from July 3 at 7:00 pm through July 5 at 1:00 pm at 290 Zielke Drive. Organizers describe it as a chance for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to connect through hands-on learning and cultural exchange.
Activities on the 36-acre wooded site beside the Brokenhead River include a sunrise ceremony, sweatlodge, traditional powwow with hoop dancing, drumming and singing sessions, medicine wheel teachings, and foraging walks. Craft workshops will cover beading, leather making, and painting. Campfire stories and snacks are also planned each evening.
The Sandy-Saulteaux Spiritual Centre is a United Church of Canada ministry training school focused on Indigenous theological education. It was formed in 2011 from two earlier centres and named for Francis Sandy, an Ojibwa elder and lay minister, and Jessie Saulteaux, an Assiniboine elder and church leader.
A previous Mamawe Ota Askihk festival in August 2018 drew more than 60 people, including 19 youth and children. The Centre says these gatherings respond to calls for reconciliation by creating space where people can learn directly from Indigenous knowledge keepers.
