let’s tend to the forests like prophets
encourage them to wilder in old growth
and watch them mature into being
raising forests is a poem by Mi’kmaw poet and story teller shalan joudry of L’sitkuk (Bear River First Nation). It’s from her latest collection, Waking Ground.
This weekend’s documentary, Martha Stiegman’s In defense of our treaties, looks at the fishers of Bear River First Nation, in Annapolis County, who proudly held on to their treaty rights and insisted on fishing the waters of the Bay of Fundy on their own terms, not on terms imposed by the Department of Fisheries.
We first posted this video in 2016, but with all that’s happening these days in Digby County, not all that far from Bear River, a re-post is warranted.
Check out this weekend’s Weekend video, We story the land, a documentary by the always excellent Martha Stiegman (and co-produced and directed by Sherry Pictou) that follows seven paddlers from L’sitkuk (Bear River First Nation) as they travel inland following almost forgotten traditional Mi’kmaq canoe routes. It’s really good.
This weekend’s video is a short and sweet CBC news report by Elizabeth McMillan on two Mi’kmaq teens from the community of L’sitkuk, Bear River First Nation, who are getting an opportunity to work in Kejimkujik National Park with Todd Labrador. Labrador is one of the few people in Canada still making traditional birchbark canoes. Also, a portion of a longer interview with Labrador by Silver Donald Cameron.
Delighted to feature this excellent poem by Mi’kmaw storyteller and poet Shalan Joudry of Bear River First Nation. The Nova Scotia Advocate tries to amplify voices that aren’t often heard. Surely we can count poets among those voices.