Stop 5:
Akikojiwan
Spiritual Advisor Albert Dumont
Welcome to Akikojiwan
At this stop, we will learn from Spiritual advisor Albert Dumont. Albert is Algonquin from Kitigan Zibi First Nation. He will teach us about the significance of Akikojiwan (Chaudière Falls) and the Kitchissippi (the Ottawa River) to the Algonquin people, past and present.
Step 1: Learn
Watch the video of Albert Dumont and read the news articles below.
Graphic by: Michael Mohammed
Learn about the Indian Act
“The third clause provides that celebrating the Potlatch is a misdemeanour. This Indian festival is debauchery of the worst kind, and the departmental officers and all clergymen unite in affirming that it is absolutely necessary to put this practice down.”
- Sir John A. MacDonald
Step 2: Honour
Write a social media post about what you have learned from Albert and say why you support the renaming of the Parkway. Tag the City of Ottawa (the Mayor and your MP).
Go visit the Akikodjiwan Falls (Chaudière Falls) . Think about the history of the river, and imagine how, for thousands of years, the Anishinaabe people travelled, traded, and visited along these waters.
Step 3: Act
Support the renaming of the parkway by signing this petition. Share the petition with others on your social media networks.
If you don't live in Ottawa/Gatineau, support an Indigenous-led renaming movement in your community. There are many happening across the country.
Order an Orange shirt designed by Albert Dumont!
The finger of blame, for the Indian Residential Schools, for the starvation tactics used against our First Nations relatives on the prairies, and for the inhumane Indian Act, point directly to one man, John A. Macdonald. Canada’s first prime minister has blood on his hands. The full number of children who died because of John A. Macdonald being born and then coming to our shores as an immigrant will never be truly revealed.
-Albert Dumont