World_youth

Jeff Green | Dec 17, 2009

Tichborne’s Danka Brewer, of the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation, was invited to do a presentation for a Canada World Youth group in Perth on November 17.

After telling stories about the Algonquin culture and world view, she wondered if they would be interested in Algonquin cuisine. “I asked them, both the Canadians and their guests, who are from Bolivia, if they had ever tasted wild game. None of them had. So instead of trying to describe it, I decided to invite them to a welcoming feast.”

With the help of the members of Sisters if the Drum, and Janet and Jim Gutowski, Brewer set out to organize a feast at St. James Catholic Church in Sharbot Lake.

Last Saturday, December 12, the Canada World Youth participants and their host families were welcomed in Sharbot Lake. They had the opportunity to learn how to make bannock and were entertained by the Sisters of the Drum and the rock band Rock Bottom.

Canada World Youth Groups include 10 Canadian participants, who range in age from 18-24 and come from all corners of the country, and 10 from another country, in this case Bolivia. The youth were paired off, and one Canadian and one Bolivian are spending three months living with a host family and doing community work. The scene will then shift to Bolivia where the same pair will live with a Bolivian family. Part of the mandate of the program is to learn about the local culture, and for the youth from both countries this was their first opportunity to earn about the Algonquin culture.

When it came time to eat, Danka delivered a welcoming prayer; the food was smudged, as was the company, and an Algonquin potluck was served. In addition to the Bannock, moose burgers, rice, venison chili, Three Sisters Soup (corn, squash and beans) and a whole lot more was served to the hungry Canada World Youth group.

As Danka Brewer put it at the beginning of the meal, “Anyone who goes away hungry from a welcoming feast has no one to blame but themselves”.

After dinner, Rock Bottom rocked out.