Rama celebrates First Nations Day with a parade, traditional drums, dances, and songs.  Tom believes understanding native culture is a vital part of understanding the past and is the key to his people’s healing.  It contributes to their pride and their resilience.  Members of the community share their thoughts about the celebrations and the importance of drums, dance ceremonies and song in their lives.

Powwows are gatherings that celebrate Indigenous culture, spirituality, music, and dance. They were illegal from 1925 until 1951. Glenda Snache describes (in Anishinaabe) how a dancer prepares for a powwow, cares for the regalia and keeps the traditions alive. The dancers’ feet and the drums sound the heartbeat of Mother Earth. Powwows bring indigenous people together in a spirit of friendship all across Turtle Island.

At the Orillia courthouse in 2018, two eagle feather are gifted, being presented as an option to swearing on a Bible. This heralds a new era of reconciliation, and is now available in several provinces in Canada.  Restorative justice allows the offender to address the pain caused to their victims while still being held accountable.

A prophecy has come true in Rama, the Mnjikaning fishing weirs and the gathering place, that it will be a place of meaning for all the nations of the world. An elder says (in Anishinaabe) “Speaking the Anishinaabe language creates knowledge and love for all living things…Kindness can always be shared”. “Long after I’ve gone through the western doorway, these young ones will pick up that path I’ve left - mino-bimaadiziwin, a good life”. The powwow has helped the Rama people find out who they are and collectively grow stronger through the healing of dance.