Elders’ Gathering

Honoring Our Elders

January 14th, 2010
Honoring Our Elders Gathering

Gji’ Geptin Antle Denny

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Listuguj January 14th, 2010

Table of Contents
ABOUT 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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Honoring Our Elders Gathering

ABOUT US
In the fall of 2006, the First Nation communities of Listu-
guj, Eel River Bar, and Pabineau came together to form the
Gespe’gewaq Mi’gmaq 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 of aquatic and natural resource
management.

As Mi’gmaw people, our connection to Mother Earth remains

essential to our very existence. It is because of this special re-
lationship that the Gespe’gewaq Mi’gmaq Resource Council
exists.
VISION
The vision of the organization is to assist First Na-
tion communities within the traditional district of the
Gespe’gewa’gi by creating awareness and understand-
ing and gathering support to further sustainable re-
source management. We see a future where we can work
together 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 of ef-
fective natural resource management practices.

MISSION
On behalf of the member communities, the Gespe’gewaq
Mi’gmaq Resource Council will coordinate, initiate and
build capacity for activities to support sustainable re-
source management and further the development of
the resources.

In addition GMRC has maintained their commitment to

meeting the highest standards in the development and im-
plementation of efficient, effective and adaptable quality
management systems by obtaining and maintaining Inter-

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national Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2008

certification since 2007.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Gespe’gewaq Mi’gmaq Resource Council held an Elders Gath-
ering on Thursday, January 14, 2010. Well over 40 Elders and
observers were present. The purpose of the Gathering was
twofold, firstly 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 feedback. 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
from 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 offered GMRC the opportunity to preserve, protect
and sustain our local knowledge.
It was pointed out at the beginning of the Gathering that
GMRC recognizes and values Elders, Fishers and Woodsmen
knowledge as a rich environmental resource, which is at risk
of becoming ‘extinct’ if proper measures are not taken to pro-
tect, preserve and sustain it. The participation and sharing
that occurred at the Gathering reinforced GMRC’s belief that
there is significant potential for 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 findings match the insights
and proposed actions of 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 staff members after the session that they wel-
comed the opportunity to speak and be heard. Participants

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Honoring Our Elders Gathering

were invited to feel free to come to the GMRC building and

meet with research staff and management at any time to
voice their concerns or just to visit.
The Elders Gathering has laid the groundwork for an active
and informed Elders Advisory Council, which will serve to
bridge the gap between community and GMRC’s scientific
research by providing information and advice related to ATK/
AEK and traditional forms of
governance.
This report was prepared for
Mark J. Sark, Chief Executive
Officer of GMRC and the El-
ders and Participants of the
Gathering. At the direction of
the Elders, the report will be
provided to members of Chief
and Council for their review.
We would like to acknowledge
and thank the Elders, Ggi Gep-
tin Antele Denny and Geptin
Fred Metallic for their full par-
ticipation and we look forward
to working more closely with
you in the future.

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Listuguj January 14th, 2010

THE GATHERING

PROJECT PRESENTATION

The day started with a presentation of GMRC current and fu-

ture projects to the Participants.

Victoria Metallic, Director, Environmental Research, GMRC

presented the project presented titled, “Melgigina’tu’g Ta’n
Telmawao’ma’ti’gw 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. After completing her educational journey she
joined GMRC where she developed a keen awareness of the
value of combining the Mi’gmaq ways of knowing with the
Western Science knowledge system. That is the approach
GMRC has taken with respect to the Plamu project and other
scientific projects.

GMRC initiated the Plamu project to address community con-

cerns about levels of 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 transfer by involving our project team
members in fishing the waters with the knowledge holders
for the data collection. The fish were then analyzed by our
team members and sent for further analysis to determine lev-
els of dioxins and furans.

The key findings of the salmon research was that the amount
of salmon we consume does not exceed the amount that is
required to cause negative health effects. We also found that
salmon is an integral part of our life, and even though about
half of the participants believed salmon is affected in some

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way by contaminants, almost

all of them continued to con-
sume salmon.

Victoria explained that she

would be presenting the
same information she pre-
sented to the Elders at the
Canadian Aboriginal Science
and Technology Society Con-
ference (CASTS), February
15th and 16th, 2010 and that
in order to give validity to the
project regarding the incorporation of ATK and AEK, she was
seeking authorization in some form from the Elders to share
the research.
Victoria also provided information on one of the recurring is-
sues GMRC has with outside organizations that only involve
First Nations or First Nations organizations at the end of their
planning process. GMRC for instance was not involved in the
planning process for 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 of management plans and research in-
volving local resource knowledge must be based on the prin-
ciples of ownership, control, access and participation (OCAP)
to be meaningful and community-based and that her goal
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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Listuguj January 14th, 2010

Q: What concerns were raised about Salmon in other

communities?
A: The concerns identified were the need to focus our ef-
forts on public education, capacity building and col-
laboration.

Q: What kind of research is currently being done on the

river by other organizations and do they know if the
populations are going up or down?
A: According to the Restiguouche Watershed Manage-
ment Council Science Committee the population fluc-
tuates year to year. When the adult Salmon population
is up the grilse population is down. Their research fo-
cuses on population counts at the various life 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 fishing?

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 fish-
ing with a local experienced fisherman to learn more
about fishing techniques, protocols and traditional
knowledge.

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

For the next half of the morning the Participants were split
into two groups. The purpose was to have a roundtable
discussion that would highlight the issues and concerns of
the local Elders with respect to resource management and
the transfer of knowledge.
Group one was facilitated by
Ann Gladue-Buffalo. Group
two was co-facilitated by Lil-
lian Vicaire Moffat, Vicky Me-
tallic and Tasha Metallic.
Immediately following the
workshop, Ann, Tasha and
Lillian met to review the out-
comes from the two groups.
It was in this review that we
identified the following com-
mon themes.

• Communication, Educa-
tion and Awareness are
important

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• Knowledge of our language holds empowerment

• Visiting each other builds
community relationships
• Sharing is an important as-
pect of who we are

• Respect is very important

ISSUES
The Participants expressed that al-
though communication, education
and awareness were important, they
felt that there was:
• a lack of communication be-
tween band governance, pro-
grams and services and the El-
ders;
• lack of consideration for Elders’
involvement in educational and
awareness programs;
• more education and aware-
ness are required on substance
abuse and alcohol support pro-
grams;
• more could be done to encourage or promote lack of promotion or en-
couragement for further education to attain self-sufficiency.
• a lack of respect for the (traditional and ecological) knowledge certain
Elders have and any advice they have given regarding the use of the
woods, or other element in the environment

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The Participants expressed

the importance of the
Mi’gmaq language and
that the language can em-
power the Mi’gmaq people.
However, it was felt that the
community was suffering
due to loss of language and
amongst other things this
was causing a generation
gap. It was also felt 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 family or the visiting was
for party purposes resulting in increased alcohol and sub-
stance abuse. It was generally felt that the loss of common
practice of visiting our neighbours and family has resulted in
the loss of harmony, trust and the sharing of values.

Participants expressed that in the past ‘sharing’ what little you

had or the bounty you received from fishing and hunting was
common practice. People in the community would just seem
to know when to help. It is clear the principle of sharing tied
in closely with the practice of visiting. You got to know your
neighbours and needs. Some of participants expressed that

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Listuguj January 14th, 2010

the loss of the principle of sharing has led to individual greed

and only certain families benefitting from resources such a
funding, 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 of respect for oneself,
each other; resources – fish, birds, animals; land and the envi-
ronment. Some of the participant expressed that they have
not felt respected by leadership and felt disempowered by
certain band governments and are tired of 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 five (5) years. The comments of 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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Honoring Our Elders Gathering

Youth. The Youth Centre can become a

vital link for creating this bridge. The pro-
grams should not be designed exclusively
for certain Elders but should be open to
all Elders
Elders would like to be able to suggest
their own types of activities and guest
speakers (instructors) for Teachings and
for activities that allow for hands-on par-
ticipation, such as fishing, basketmaking,
canning, etc.
• Elders could build their own document (liv-
ing document) based on their combined
knowledge
• Identify Elders who want to be involved in
sharing their knowledge
• The Band should encourage furthering of
education and skills development
“ The Mi’gmaq language is our first language and
is spoken and written in our homes, schools and
community by person’s of all ages.”

Language holds empowerment

• Educators and other’s 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 Mi’gmaq language. Interpreters should
be available for the youth because knowledge trans-
fer is important
• Youth should be encouraged to visit Elders and lis-
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

• Organizations such as GMRC continue to have get-

togethers where Elders and community members
can socialize and discuss issues
• Groups should organize potlucks, card games, etc
for everyone to socialize
• More people should get out visiting and get to know
your neighbours
“The Mi’gmaq are known for their kindness and
generosity, and the community will once again be

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strengthened by these values and the community

will go back to their traditional practice of shar-
ing.”

Principle of sharing

• People should start to show concern for others by

sharing with those less fortunate without being
asked
• Parents and elders and others can pass on this prin-
ciple by modeling this behaviour for children and
youth
• Sharing also involves sharing of your gifts (knowl-
edge transfer) – 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 of all, our link to the past. In return, Elders
are given respect, not only within the family, but also
within the larger community as a whole.”
More Respect
• Respect for oneself, your spouse and your children
• Teachings on respect should start at home with
parent(s), and teachings can start at a young age
• Everyone should model respectful behaviour for the
youth
• Identify more role models and honour those role
models
• Have patience with young ones when teaching them
language or a new skill – it will teach them respect

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Listuguj January 14th, 2010

• We have to have more respect for the environment –

the birds, animals, fish and our forests
• Ask for permission – be humble and use humility

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 Sorbey
provided the blessing for the dinner and the Gitpu Singers
from AGS were on hand to provide the honour song for the
Elders. The keynote speaker for the evening was Gji Geptin
Andrew Denny who spoke on the importance of language
and the Mi’gmaq culture.
A video montage of the GMRC Elder interviews was played
during the dinner. Gifts were presented to the Elders follow-
ing the keynote address.

CONCLUSION
The Gathering offered the opportunity for Elders and others
to share their stories, concerns and ideas. At GMRC we be-
lieve there is significant potential for reciprocal learning and
understanding when we can come together to explore the
knowledge and wisdom embedded within your experiences
of life and learning.
The Gathering matched the insights and proposed actions
of GMRC’s 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 infor-

mation, which will guide our next steps in the formation of a

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governance framework for the continued guidance and par-

ticipation of Elders in our research. This framework will be:

• Based on mutual respect, sharing, and will hon-

our and respect the Mi’gmaq language, culture
and practices,
• Will assist us in achieving our communication and
educational goals of information sharing with the
community,
• Will provide the basis for the participation of lo-
cal Elders in the formulation of GMRC’s policy on
research.

NEXT STEPS
In order to honour the principles of ownership, control, access
and participation (OCAP) in research, GMRC will continue to
take steps to work with the community in various forms such
as making presentations at community meeting, providing
written reports/communication materials, holding informal
gatherings as well as formal Elders Advisory meetings.

A follow-up meeting will be held with the Elders to review

the priorities identified at the Gathering of January 14, 2010
and we will work towards the development of an action plan,
which will guide GMRC and the Elders to work in partnership
to address our common concerns and goals for the commu-
nity, our resources and the environment.

Respectfully submitted by:

______________________
Ann Gladue-Buffalo
Executive Assistant to the CEO
Gespe’gewaq Mi’gmaq Resource Council Inc.
15
94B Riverside East
Listuguj, QC
G0C 2R0
T. 418.788.3017
F. 418.788.3192