2015 Smudge Walk: Honouring our community
- Tiffany Head | June 08, 2015
National Aboriginal History Month was officially kicked off on June 1st with the North Central Smudge Walk.
This was the 5th year for the smudge walk in Regina’s inner city core. This year's theme was Honouring Our Community.
The walk started at 3304 Dewdney Avenue West to walk around the neighbourhood in a clockwise manner for a three-and-a-half kilometre radius while smudging the community. Jacob McNab walked in the front and led the crowd while he held a pail filled with sage that produced the smoke which purified and cleansed the community.
“Predominantly this is a community with a lot of First Nations and Métis people; this is a part of our identity, our heritage. We use the smudging philosophy of removing negative energy,” said Mike Agecoutay, one of the organizers of the event.
Agecoutay says they planned the event four to five months ahead. For the first time ever, they did not have to worry about getting sponsors as sponsors were already lining up to help. SaskEnergy who have been supporting the event since it first started have always provided the barbeque stand and the staff the cook and serve the food. Loblaws donated the food. Other sponsors included the Peepeekisis First Nation, Potash Corp, Casino Regina, and WorkSafe compensation board provided the money for entertainment and other costs.
The event had a huge gathering of support. This year for the first time, a mayor joined the smudge walk. It also had for the first time a women’s pipe ceremony, which was recommended by the members of the community. So the event had a few new things happen which made the 5th year exceptionally memorable.
For more photos from the 2015 Smudge Walk, visit our Photo Gallery.
Jaqueline Anaquod, Founder of Sisters in Spirit of Saskatchewan volunteer organization, says that the walk unifies the people in the community and her group joined the walk every year for that reason.
“I think, like with any group, we join the smudge walk to support community because a lot of events that go on are successful because community members come out and support one another,” said Anaquad.
Agecoutay does not know what kind of impact the walk has every year but he knows that they do their part to make North Central a better place to live.
“I believe that the community is pleased that there is an event like this happening in the community and whether it had impacts on reducing crime rates, we can’t gauge that, we don’t know if it has, but it’s our philosophy, our belief that we are doing what we can to try to curb any of that negative activity. It’s something that we believe in that is why we keep coming back every year to do this,” said Agecoutay.
Related story: Smudge Walk brings awareness to Regina
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