Kaaren Olsen Dannenmann (Ma’iinkan) is an Anishinaapekwe from Namekosipiink in northern Ontario (Trout Lake). She is a mother of three and a grandmother of five. Her life is intrinsically connected to her homeland, her family and her community. She is a trapper and a trapper instructor.
Kaaren is a strong anti-racism worker and has developed partnerships with non-Aboriginal people and organizations to conduct de-colonizing/undoing racism workshops and trainings. She is committed to peace and justice and is part of several international efforts that support indigenous peoples’ struggle for recognition of rights to land, language, culture and economies.
Her workshop “Gifts from the Moose” incorporates some of the teachings she shares with students in her trappers courses. People who attend this workshop come away with a deeper respect for our relationship to the web of life.
For Anishinaape People … the words “my,” “our,” “your,” “his,” or “hers” are not about ownership or possession but about a relationship… That this relationship includes those with whom we share … home – ―our aunts, cousins, etc., the moose, bear, gulls, ravens, mice, moles, flies, mosquitoes, fish, the trees, the grass and rocks, etc., etc. That this relationship is characterized by a spirituality and sacredness, an intimate knowledge and huge reciprocal respect and reverence where we all know our rights and responsibilities. This very amazing relationship involves a give and take that requires consciousness and constant nurturing… interconnectedness of time and space and love.”
Reciprocity in action
Participants made a beautiful keepsake from the bones of the Moose. We saw many examples of beautiful items made from various parts of the Moose from special needles to moccasins, necklaces and containers. Each person then made a necklace of our own that will serve as a reminder to stay connected to the “Gifts from the Moose.”
