Community Voices for Manoomin (CVFM) – is a group to which several members of TRC-Bobcaygeon belong. This group on Indigenous and non-Indigenous members is dedicated to protecting Manoomin and the Indigenous rights to tend and harvest it.
In 2019 there were 4 Ceremonial Paddles in honouring the manoomin during each of the corresponding with the stages of manoomin’s lifecycle.
In her quilt story for our TRC-Bobcaygeon banner, Sherry Hillman talks about how these ceremonial paddles with elders and knowledge keepers Dorothy Taylor and Shirley Williams deepened her relationship to manoomin. She came away understanding the importance of Manoomin to the Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg – not only as a sustaining and nutritious food source but even more importantly culturally and spiritually as central to their migration story, connecting them to their land.
