MISHI 2017: Does Wisdom Sit in Places? Sites as Sources of Knowledge. — Manitoulin Island Summer Historical Institute

Mtig bemaadzid / The Living Tree: Digital Archiving Through Film at MISHI  Chelsea Reid, MA student, Dept of Art History and Visual Culture, University of Guelph Edited by Dr. Carolyn Podruchny   Aanii. Niinsa Waazakone'ankwad'kwe. Chelsea Reid nindizhinikaz. Atimameksheng Anishnawbek Nookomis indoonjibaa, Migizi indodem. Hello. My names are Cloud with the Silver Lining and Chelsea Reid. My grandmother is from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek (formerly Whitefish Lake First Nation) and I have been told I am Eagle Clan. My father and grandfather are of European descent. I grew up in Sudbury, Ontario with my mother and younger brother. My connection to Anishinaabe...

  By Clara MacCallum Fraser, with Kelly King & Nicole Latulippe  Is it possible to convey the depth of embodied learning through the written word? The participants of the Manitoulin Island Summer Historical Institute (MISHI) were asked to share something of our experience in a blog post, either individually, or as a group. This has been a challenge to get down on paper (first, without the distractions of internet, then on computer) since throughout the trip we sought to engage in a process of listening that didn’t totally rely on note-taking. In the past, when I was in a similar...

By Katherine MacDonald For the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation and Manitoulin Island Summer Historical Institute August, 2017   My childhood summers were spent on the shores of Lake Huron, visiting my grandmother in Amberley.  Together with my brother, we would explore the woods and play by the water’s edge, collecting shells and feathers, and listen to the stories told by those around us.  We learned about the Clay Pond, and the Clam Pond and why they were important for us.  We learned how to watch, and respect the power of the Lake.  And we learned the names of important landscape features...

By Phil Henderson             On the shores of Lake Mindemoya, Alan Corbiere talked about how Nanabush escaped from the Haudenosaunee by running up the length of the Saugeen/Bruce Peninsula and paddling across Lake Huron to Manitoulin Island. In the local coffee shop that graciously played host to so many of our group’s participants for our week-long stay, Bill Fox provided the archaeological evidence of the extent and intention behind Anishinaabek mobility throughout the vast Great Lakes Basin. In that same space, Anong Beam explained the process of pottery crafting, highlighting the uniqueness and place-based qualities of clays with which she and her family...

By C. Elizabeth Best     Caption: Nico Williams, “Bandolier” from the exhibit “Spirit Transformations” Ojibwe Cultural Foundation, 2017.               A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the Manitoulin Island Summer Historical Institute (MISHI). The most exciting part of this program was that I was able to attend academic events at home. Previous to MISHI 2017, my academic life and my home world had been separate parts of my identity. As most people can attest, two worlds colliding is a strange feeling full of self-reflection.               Over the past five years, I have been grappling...