April 10 – 19, 2010

After seeing the production “Our Relations” at the United Chiefs and Council of Manitoulin conference, Chief Gary Allen of Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation (located just outside of Fort Frances Ontario), contacted Debajehmujig with an interesting and unique request, which had us excited from the start.
 
His community was exploring the implications of switching from the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) electoral system of governance to a traditional system of governance, (i.e. the Clan System or perhaps a family representational system). His request was that Debajehmujg come to Nigigoonsiminikaaning and consult with the community to get an idea of some of the challenges that may arise when implementing either of the new systems of governance. After the research we were then to develop a presentation to animate and explicate back to the community some of our discoveries around the issues that were raised by the community.
 
We met with elders, we met with adults, we met with youth - anybody who was willing to talk to us in the small community of 150 people. We were honoured to be invited to do the presentation in the roundhouse. The morning opened with an invocation by Elder Jim Windigo and songs by a local drum group. Following our presentation the Elder again closed the day and a community feast was enjoyed by everyone. The drum group then sang a traveling song to wish us safe travels for our 18 hour trip home.

This project request intrigued us and honoured us, as it stands as another unique example of how our home communities are discovering new ways of engaging storytellers to contribute to improving the quality of life for our people.