Mamawe Ota Askihk: Sharing Life Together Here on Earth. Mamawe Ota Askihk is a week-long cultural learning event where Indigenous and Settler allies are able to spend time on the land and learn Indigenous ways of knowing and being with Mother Earth. It’s a week of hands-on learning focused towards growing, harvesting and preparing medicines and foods from the land. 

Participants came from all over Manitoba and Saskatchewan to participate in this cultural learning event. Knowledge Keepers were present to teach ribbon skirt making, drum songs and hand-drum making, traditional games, meat cutting and smoking and harvesting the sacred medicines; sage, tobacco and sweetgrass. 

A sharing circle for Mamawe Ota Askihk

Pathfinders from the First Nations Waste Minimization Team (FNWM) were very grateful to be invited to host a t-shirt screen printing activity as part of this week-long learning journey at the Sandy-Salteaux Spiritual Centre in Beausejour, Manitoba. It was our second year being invited to Mamawe Ota Askihk, having also been invited to host a t-shirt screen printing activity last year as well. It was great to be back!

A collection of shirts drying.

Knowledge Keeper Stan McKay checking out his new shirt

The t-shirt printing activity gave participants an opportunity to choose from one of five custom ‘Water is Life’ designs and print it on a t-shirt provided by the FNWM team. It’s a relatively quick and simple activity, which makes it accessible to folks of all ages.  Once the paint has dried, the shirts are ready to be picked up and participants leave with a souvenir and a gentle reminder to tread lightly on this earth, and to protect the lands and waters that give us life.

Another happy participant with a great new shirt.

This screen-printing activity is a popular one, having been requested at a number of Treaty Day events over the past few years, including in St. Theresa Point First Nation and Pine Creek First Nation. If you would like to book this activity for a community event please email fnwm@greenactioncentre.ca. Other community activities we offer include a 4R bingo- which highlights which materials are recyclable and which are not, as well as various school presentations geared towards waste reduction and diversion. These presentations are customizable to the ages and interests of students and classes. Again, if either of these options interest you, please contact the email address noted above. 

Once again, Pathfinders would like to thank the Knowledge Keepers, youth, and Sandy-Salteaux Spiritual Centre staff for making us feel so welcome during our visit. There was a great sense of community and we hope to see you all again next year!