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RONDEAU – 5 years in the past, Aamjiwnaang First Nation artist John Williams unveiled his portray, Makwa Endaad – Bears Lodge, within the customer centre at Rondeau Provincial Park.
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Williams returned to the identical customer centre Saturday lead an artwork workshop as a part of the park’s Household Day Weekend – Cultural Celebration. This working relationship with the park developed from that earlier commissioned portray, he mentioned.
“I used to be gaining some momentum” with the artwork workshops earlier than the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams mentioned.
He returned to in-person workshops at Rondeau Provincial Park final Labour Day weekend after which once more on the final Thanksgiving Day weekend.
“I like that hands-on a part of it,” Williams mentioned.
He can assist if somebody wants just a little steerage, he added.
Together with having a murals to take dwelling, Williams mentioned the workshops are “about sharing your tradition and highlighting the season.”
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On Saturday, the mission was a winter chook theme that includes a cardinal with the intense solar as a backdrop.
“I prefer to hold it seasonal,” mentioned Williams, including previous workshops have featured pumpkins, dragonflies and butterflies,
Jess Matthews, chief park naturalist at Rondeau, mentioned park officers had realized about six years “there wasn’t any Indigenous content material (within the centre), so we needed to enhance that.”
She mentioned the park reached out to the Aamjiwnaang First Nation neighborhood and Williams was beneficial as a gifted artist. He was then invited to Rondeau to have a look at the house within the customer centre.
“That’s the place Makwa Endaad – Bears Lodge portray got here from,” Matthews mentioned.
The workshops Williams leads have develop into highly regarded.
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Sometimes when a workshop by Williams is posted on the park’s social media accounts, it’s booked up the identical day, Matthews mentioned.
9-year-old Jolene Wooden had earlier taken the initiative to register herself and her mom Jennifer Richmond for the workshop Williams held final Thanksgiving weekend.
Each have been again for the Household Day occasion.
“I like artwork, I like drawing and I like portray,” Jolene mentioned, “so I assumed I might strive it and I prefer it.”
The budding artist did so nicely together with her pumpkin paintings on the Thanksgiving workshop she gained an unique Williams portray as a prize.
“We loved it final time,” Richmond mentioned. “There was no hesitation in attempting to verify we obtained a spot.
“We name Rondeau our second dwelling, so we’re at all times out right here doing the actions.”
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Matthews mentioned the Household Day weekend has constantly been when the park promotes the gathering of communities.
“We’ve had Indigenous dancers, audio system, artists come on Household Day,” she mentioned.
She added First Nation neighborhood members from Caldwell First Nation and Eelünaapéewi Lahkéewiit – Delaware Nation at Moraviantown, in addition to Aamjiwnaang First Nation from close to Sarnia, additionally come to the park to share their tradition at different instances all year long.
Saturday additionally featured a storybook studying from A Strolling in Nature by Janne Peters from Caldwell First Nation.
Matthews mentioned she believes many individuals coming to take part in these cultural occasions have by no means had a chance to attach with somebody from Indigenous communities.
She added the park works with totally different First Nations communities so folks can see there are distinct cultures, together with the very fact totally different communities communicate totally different languages.
Matthews mentioned she believes the occasions additionally assist folks notice “these communities are right here and thriving and present and are part of Ontario.”
Williams mentioned he enjoys seeing what comes from the artwork workshops.
“It’s good to see folks specific themselves by means of (artwork),” he mentioned. “When you’ll be able to encourage them to precise one thing and present them one thing to do, it’s very enlightening.”
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