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
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.