Volunteers gather to build the Batchewana First Nation teaching lodge
A special structure is going up behind the Anishinabek Discovery Centre in Sault Ste. Marie. A group of volunteers gathered over the weekend to build a teaching lodge, which will serve as a centre for traditional learning.
The process of building a teaching lodge begins with site selection and gathering of building materials. In this case, maple saplings are tied together to form the "ribs" of the structure, which will then be covered with a tarp.
Chief Dean Sayers of Batchewana First Nation was on hand for the opening ceremony and to lend a hand in building the lodge. He says it's the historical and traditional equivalent of a present-day school.
"It's a holistic lodge, and you connect in so many ways when you're in this lodge," says Chief Sayers. "Visually, spiritually, emotionally. You'll get a connection that you'll find in no other educational institute."
Chief Sayers says the lodge is constructed using all natural materials, with each piece serving a purpose.
"Every section has teachings, every rib has teachings," he says. "It's our encyclopedia. It's our Google. Everything is right there. You want to know something? Google it right there. You can Google it in the lodge and the ancestors will help us with that."
An activist cycling from Quebec to British Columbia was among those invited to the lodge site. Guillaume McMartin, who not long ago considered ending his life, says he is bringing a message of hope across the country.
"It's finding a purpose and hope, a little piece of hope in my heart, that I could make a difference," says McMartin. "That's the journey I take today. Because if I can save one person's life who's thinking about suicide, who's thinking to give up, if I can help put hope in one person's heart, then this entire journey is worth it."
McMartin says while his journey is taking much longer than he expected, he's grateful for the experience.
"I thought it would take two or three months," he says. "And now, I'm like two months in and I'm still in the middle of Ontario. But, I've met so many amazing people and generous people and people giving from the heart."
Officials say the teaching lodge, which will remain up year-round, is designed to compliment modern-day teaching methods at Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig, the Anishinabek university in the Soo.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.
Iran's judiciary confirms rapper Toomaj Salehi death sentence
Iran's judiciary confirmed the death sentence of well-known Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi but added that he is entitled to a sentence reduction, state media reported on Thursday.