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Elders Gathering
Honoring Our EldersJanuary 14th, 2010
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Honoring Our Elders Gathering
Gji Geptin Antle Denny
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January 14th, 2010Listuguj
Table o ContentsABOUT US ...................................................................................................................... 1
VISION...................................................................................................................... 1
MISSION .................................................................................................................. 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................. 2
THE GATHERING .......................................................................................................... 4
PROJECT PRESENTATION .................................................................................. 4
ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION .............................................................................. 7
ISSUES ...................................................................................................................... 8
VISIONING ..............................................................................................................10
HONOURING OUR ELDERS DINNER ..................................................................... 14
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 14
NEXT STEPS ................................................................................................................... 15
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ABOUT USIn the all o 2006, the First Nation communities o Listu-
guj, Eel River Bar, and Pabineau came together to orm theGespegewaq Migmaq Resource Council Inc. This began a
journey that would bring the communities together to im-
prove social conditions, economic conditions, and commu-
nication levels in the areas o aquatic and natural resource
management.
As Migmaw people, our connection to Mother Earth remainsessential to our very existence. It is because o this special re-
lationship that the Gespegewaq Migmaq Resource Counci
exists.
VISION The vision o the organization is to assist First Na-
tion communities within the traditional district o the
Gespegewagi by creating awareness and understand-
ing and gathering support to urther sustainable re-
source management. We see a uture where we can worktogether in the bay, managing our resources and having
a greater say in how they are managed, at the same time
building cultural bridges with the common goal o e-
ective natural resource management practices.
MISSION
On behal o the member communities, the Gespegewaq
Migmaq Resource Council will coordinate, initiate and
build capacity or activities to support sustainable re-source management and urther the development o
the resources.
In addition GMRC has maintained their commitment to
meeting the highest standards in the development and im-
plementation o ecient, eective and adaptable quality
management systems by obtaining and maintaining Inter-
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national Organization or Standardization (ISO) 9001:2008certication since 2007.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Gespegewaq Migmaq Resource Council held an Elders Gath-
ering on Thursday, January 14, 2010. Well over 40 Elders and
observers were present. The purpose o the Gathering was
twoold, rstly to honour the Elders by sharing with them
Salmon research that GMRC had undertaken, which incorpo-
rated Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge (ATK) and Aboriginal
Ecological Knowledge (AEK) and obtain their eedback. Sec-
ondly, GMRC wanted to honour the Elders by taking the time
to listen to their concerns regarding their role in the commu-
nity. A dinner was held in the evening to honour three Elders
rom our community: Robert Brisk, Isaac Ike Metallic and
Lilly Vicaire, who assisted GMRC in their research by partici-
pating in Elder interviews. Their participation was invaluable,
as it has oered GMRC the opportunity to preserve, protect
and sustain our local knowledge.
It was pointed out at the beginning o the Gathering that
GMRC recognizes and values Elders, Fishers and Woodsmen
knowledge as a rich environmental resource, which is at risk
o becoming extinct i proper measures are not taken to pro-
tect, preserve and sustain it. The participation and sharing
that occurred at the Gathering reinorced GMRCs belie that
there is signicant potential or reciprocal learning when El-
ders and others can come together to share the knowledge
and wisdom embedded within their storied experiences.Further, the Elders Gathering ndings match the insights
and proposed actions o the Salmon Research in that both
recommend that Elders and knowledge holders share their
knowledge with the youth, and to continue to gather to have
the opportunity to share their concerns. Some participants
expressed to sta members ater the session that they wel-
comed the opportunity to speak and be heard. Participants
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were invited to eel ree to come to the GMRC building andmeet with research sta and management at any time to
voice their concerns or just to visit.
The Elders Gathering has laid the groundwork or an active
and inormed Elders Advisory Council, which will serve to
bridge the gap between community and GMRCs scientic
research by providing inormation and advice related to ATK/
AEK and traditional orms o
governance.
This report was prepared o
Mark J. Sark, Chie Executive
Ocer o GMRC and the El-
ders and Participants o the
Gathering. At the direction o
the Elders, the report will be
provided to members o Chie
and Council or their review
We would like to acknowledge
and thank the Elders, Ggi Gep-tin Antele Denny and Geptin
Fred Metallic or their ull par-
ticipation and we look orward
to working more closely with
you in the uture.
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THE GATHERING
PROJECT PRESENTATION
The day started with a presentation o GMRC current and u-
ture projects to the Participants.
Victoria Metallic, Director, Environmental Research, GMRC
presented the project presented titled, Melgiginatug Tan
Telmawaomatigw Plamu Strengthening our Relationship
with the Salmon.
Victoria began her presentation by explaining how the val-
ues instilled in her by her parents led to her interest in the
environment. Ater completing her educational journey she
joined GMRC where she developed a keen awareness o the
value o combining the Migmaq ways o knowing with the
Western Science knowledge system. That is the approach
GMRC has taken with respect to the Plamu project and other
scientic projects.
GMRC initiated the Plamu project to address community con-cerns about levels o contaminants in our salmon and how it
could be impacting them. The project involved conducting a
survey and gathering local knowledge about the salmon by
spending time with Elders and resource users and learning
about the history and current relationship with the salmon.
It also involved skills transer by involving our project team
members in shing the waters with the knowledge holders
or the data collection. The sh were then analyzed by our
team members and sent or urther analysis to determine lev-els o dioxins and urans.
The key ndings o the salmon research was that the amount
o salmon we consume does not exceed the amount that is
required to cause negative health eects. We also ound that
salmon is an integral part o our lie, and even though about
hal o the participants believed salmon is aected in some
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way by contaminants, almostall o them continued to con-
sume salmon.
Victoria explained that she
would be presenting the
same inormation she pre-
sented to the Elders at the
Canadian Aboriginal Science
and Technology Society Con-
erence (CASTS), February
15th and 16th, 2010 and that
in order to give validity to the
project regarding the incorporation o ATK and AEK, she was
seeking authorization in some orm rom the Elders to share
the research.
Victoria also provided inormation on one o the recurring is-
sues GMRC has with outside organizations that only involve
First Nations or First Nations organizations at the end o their
planning process. GMRC or instance was not involved in the
planning process or Upsalquitch Management Plan at the
beginning and has only now been asked to provide input
and it is apparent that unequal weight is given to local re-
source knowledge.
She ended her presentation by stating that real participation
in the development o management plans and research in-
volving local resource knowledge must be based on the prin-
ciples o ownership, control, access and participation (OCAP)to be meaningul and community-based and that her goa
was to seek advice on how GMRC should be accessing lo-
cal environmental knowledge and how to share this knowl-
edge.
Following the presentation was a question and answer pe-
riod:
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Q: What concerns were raised about Salmon in othercommunities?
A: The concerns identied were the need to ocus our e-
orts on public education, capacity building and col-
laboration.
Q: What kind o research is currently being done on the
river by other organizations and do they know i the
populations are going up or down?
A: According to the Restiguouche Watershed Manage-
ment Council Science Committee the population fuc-
tuates year to year. When the adult Salmon population
is up the grilse population is down. Their research o-
cuses on population counts at the various lie stages
and spans the last 10 years.
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NB. Geptin Fred Metallic noted that based on his re-search at the pier, the Salmon population is going
down.
Q: What is GMRC to involve more youth in shing?
A: GMRC has submitted a proposal to the Atlantic Salmon
Conservation Foundation to develop a youth mentor-
ing program that would take interested youth out sh-
ing with a local experienced sherman to learn more
about shing techniques, protocols and traditionaknowledge.
ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
For the next hal o the morning the Participants were split
into two groups. The purpose was to have a roundtable
discussion that would highlight the issues and concerns o
the local Elders with respect to resource management and
the transer o knowledgeGroup one was acilitated by
Ann Gladue-Bualo. Group
two was co-acilitated by Lil-
lian Vicaire Moat, Vicky Me-
tallic and Tasha Metallic.
Immediately ollowing the
workshop, Ann, Tasha and
Lillian met to review the out-
comes rom the two groupsIt was in this review that we
identied the ollowing com-
mon themes.
Communication, Educa-
tion and Awareness are
important
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Knowledgeofourlanguageholdsempowerment
Visiting each other builds
community relationships
Sharingisanimportantas-
pect o who we are
Respectisveryimportant
ISSUES
The Participants expressed that al-
though communication, education
and awareness were important, they
elt that there was:
a lack of communication be-
tween band governance, pro-
grams and services and the El-ders;
lackofconsiderationforElders
involvement in educational and
awareness programs;
more education and aware-
ness are required on substance
abuse and alcohol support pro-
grams;
morecouldbedonetoencourageorpromotelackofpromotionoren-
couragement or urther education to attain sel-suciency.
alackofrespectforthe(traditionalandecological)knowledgecertain
Elders have and any advice they have given regarding the use o the
woods, or other element in the environment
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The Participants expressedthe importance o the
Migmaq language and
that the language can em-
power the Migmaq people
However, it was elt that the
community was suering
due to loss o language and
amongst other things this
was causing a generation
gap. It was also elt that the
language should be used
more in public meetings.
Preservation [] is what we do to berries in jam jars
and salmon in cans. [] Books and recordings can pre-
serve languages, but only people and communities can
keep them alive. Nora Marks Dauenhauer and Rich-
ard Dauenhauer, Tlingit [Alaska] oral historians. (in Lord
1996:68)
The participants noted that visiting was a common practice
in the past and helped to strengthen the community. They
also noted that visiting had diminished and that nowadays
people were visiting just their close amily or the visiting was
or party purposes resulting in increased alcohol and sub-
stance abuse. It was generally elt that the loss o common
practice o visiting our neighbours and amily has resulted in
the loss o harmony, trust and the sharing o values.
Participants expressed that in the past sharing what little you
had or the bounty you received rom shing and hunting was
common practice. People in the community would just seem
to know when to help. It is clear the principle o sharing tied
in closely with the practice o visiting. You got to know your
neighbours and needs. Some o participants expressed that
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the loss o the principle o sharing has led to individual greedand only certain amilies benetting rom resources such a
unding, housing, and natural resources, etc.
The Participants expressed that respect was very important to
them, however, some noted changes in even the last twenty
(20) years that included a general lack o respect or onesel,
each other; resources sh, birds, animals; land and the envi-
ronment. Some o the participant expressed that they have
not elt respected by leadership and elt disempowered by
certain band governments and are tired o not being heard.
VISIONING
In one group participants were asked to vision where they
would like to see themselves personally and as a community
in the next ve (5) years. The comments o the second group,
which were also visionary in nature were included in this
summary. Following are
their comments:
Elders are seen as
a valuable resource
and individuals, band
governments, schools
and community orga-
nizations utilize their
expertise regularly.
Communication, Educa-
tion and Awareness
Create programs, which
will get Elders involved
in activities with the
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Youth. The Youth Centre can become avital link or creating this bridge. The pro-
grams should not be designed exclusively
or certain Elders but should be open to
all Elders
Elders would like to be able to suggest
their own types o activities and guest
speakers (instructors) or Teachings and
or activities that allow or hands-on par-
ticipation, such as shing, basketmaking,canning, etc.
Elderscouldbuildtheir own document (liv-
ing document) based on their combined
knowledge
IdentifyElderswhowant to be involved in
sharing their knowledge
TheBandshouldencouragefurtheringof
education and skills development
The Migmaq language is our rst language and
is spoken and written in our homes, schools and
community by persons o all ages.
Language holds empowerment
Educators and others who speaks the language
should become more involved with the community
not just the classroom
Encourage meetings and social gatherings to be
held in the Migmaq language. Interpreters should
be available or the youth because knowledge trans-
er is important
YouthshouldbeencouragedtovisitEldersandlis-
ten to stories and Elders should be open to that
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The community will become stronger as commu-nity members begin socializing more by visiting
each other regularly and gathering in our homes
and the community.
Visiting builds community relations
OrganizationssuchasGMRCcontinuetohaveget-
togethers where Elders and community members
can socialize and discuss issues
Groups should organize potlucks, card games,etc
or everyone to socialize
Morepeopleshouldgetoutvisitingandgettoknow
your neighbours
The Migmaq are known or their kindness and
generosity, and the community will once again be
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strengthened by these values and the communitywill go back to their traditional practice o shar-
ing.
Principle of sharing
Peopleshouldstartto showconcernfor othersby
sharing with those less ortunate without being
asked
Parentsandeldersandotherscanpassonthisprin-ciple by modeling this behaviour or children and
youth
Sharing also involves sharing of your gifts (knowl-
edge transer) your insights, understandings, his-
tory, culture and traditions, through action, example
and through stories.
In our community, our Elders play an important role.
They are our wisdom keepers, our spiritual leaders
and most o all, our link to the past. In return, Elders
are given respect, not only within the amily, but also
within the larger community as a whole.
More Respect
Respectforoneself,yourspouseandyourchildren
Teachings on respect should start at home with
parent(s), and teachings can start at a young age Everyoneshouldmodelrespectfulbehaviourforthe
youth
Identify more role models and honour those role
models
Havepatiencewithyoungoneswhenteachingthem
language or a new skill it will teach them respect
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Wehavetohavemorerespectfortheenvironmentthe birds, animals, sh and our orests
Askforpermissionbehumbleandusehumility
HONOURING OUR ELDERS DINNER
A dinner to honour the Elders who participated in our Elders
Interviews was held to close out the GMRC Gathering. Over
75 Elders and others were in attendance. Katherine Sorbeyprovided the blessing or the dinner and the Gitpu Singers
rom AGS were on hand to provide the honour song or the
Elders. The keynote speaker or the evening was Gji Geptin
Andrew Denny who spoke on the importance o language
and the Migmaq culture.
A video montage o the GMRC Elder interviews was played
during the dinner. Gits were presented to the Elders ollow-
ing the keynote address.
CONCLUSION
The Gathering oered the opportunity or Elders and others
to share their stories, concerns and ideas. At GMRC we be-
lieve there is signicant potential or reciprocal learning and
understanding when we can come together to explore the
knowledge and wisdom embedded within your experiences
o lie and learning.
The Gathering matched the insights and proposed actions
o GMRCs research in that both recommend that Elders and
knowledge holders share their knowledge with the youth and
that continue to gather to have the opportunity to share.
The Elders Gathering has provided GMRC with valuable inor-
mation, which will guide our next steps in the ormation o a
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governance ramework or the continued guidance and par-
ticipation o Elders in our research. This ramework will be:
Basedonmutualrespect,sharing,andwillhon-
our and respect the Migmaq language, culture
and practices,
Willassistusinachievingourcommunicationand
educational goals o inormation sharing with the
community,
Willprovidethebasisfortheparticipationoflo-
cal Elders in the ormulation o GMRCs policy onresearch.
NEXT STEPS
In order to honour the principles o ownership, control, access
and participation (OCAP) in research, GMRC will continue to
take steps to work with the community in various orms such
as making presentations at community meeting, providing
written reports/communication materials, holding inorma
gatherings as well as ormal Elders Advisory meetings.
A ollow-up meeting will be held with the Elders to review
the priorities identied at the Gathering o January 14, 2010
and we will work towards the development o an action plan
which will guide GMRC and the Elders to work in partnership
to address our common concerns and goals or the commu-
nity, our resources and the environment.
Respectully submitted by:
______________________
Ann Gladue-Bualo
Executive Assistant to the CEO
Gespegewaq Migmaq Resource Council Inc.
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94B Riverside East
Listuguj, QC
G0C 2R0
T. 418.788.3017
F. 418.788.3192