ABOUT
Anishinaabek Voices is an initiative that honours the people and the land and feeds the roots of our future through the stories told here, the photos, videos and audio recordings.
The Anishinaabek Voices website grew out of wanting to "share back" to the First Nation communities and people of the Sioux Lookout District. This was done through sharing of a collection of photographs, videos and audio recordings that had one way or another come to Kwayaciiwin, since the organization was founded by district Chiefs in 2002. We recognized the value of the stories told through these different media and decided that the best way to provide everyone with access to them was through this website.
Even before the website was launched, as people started to hear about it, we began to receive old slides and VHS tapes to scan and digitize in order to add to the website collection. We also started to receive requests to help in documenting the memories and knowledge of community elders. It was very exciting to see the contents of this website grow so quickly, through a collaborative community effort.
Many of the photographs have been scanned from slides and reflect life from the late 60’s to the 80’s. In most cases we do not know who they are or where they are. However that does not mean that nobody else knows. As people view these pictures, we are finding that one at a time places and people are being identified thereby enabling us to add those precious details to the image descriptions.
ABOUT THE LOGO
The logo for Anishinaabek Voices consists of a tree line reflected in the water, often the first thing you see in the many First Nation communities in the region. The reflection is a perfect symbol for the project as the photos, videos and audio recordings allow us to reflect on our past and how much has changed over the years. The tree line reflected in water also resembles audio waveforms that are electronically captured in recordings, which is appropriate as we use technology to share the history of our communities.
ABOUT KWAYACIIWIN
Since 2002, Kwayaciiwin has worked with First Nation communities in the Sioux Lookout area to help students succeed academically by providing culturally appropriate resources and materials, and by supporting schools in areas such as literacy, numeracy, data collection, technology, and governance.
Anishinine/Anishinaabe language and culture remain at the heart of Kwayaciiwin’s work, rooted in the knowledge that students with a strong sense of identity and belonging will thrive academically and personally.
Services include coaching and mentoring of school staff, curriculum development, school success planning, learning assessments, student performance data collection, special education support, professional development, language and culture resources, and assistance with information technology and management.