Among the chilling winds and blowing snow yesterday could be seen a bright blue addition to the Ramsey Lake waterfront.
High in the air atop a residential skyline, now sits a reminder of the area’s Indigenous heritage which reads ‘Bitimagamasing’ alongside its translation, ‘water that lies beside the hill’.
After six months of truth and reconciliation initiatives held across Canada, Katimavik introduced Project Bitimagamasing as a final “legacy project” to honour traditional place-names and promote awareness of Anishinaabemowin culture.
After two months of work by Katimavik volunteers, the enormous billboard displaying Ramsey Lake’s traditional Anishinaabemowin name was unveiled on Dec. 1, at 8 Dale St.
In attendance was elder Winnie Pitawanakwat, presented as the first speaker for the project’s evening reception at Science North.
In her speech, Pitawanakwat reminded attendees of the emotional importance of initiatives such as Project Bitimagamasing as well as just how recently these cultural indicators were stripped away.
“When the missionaries came to our area, they changed my grandfather’s name to Joseph…because we all had to have surnames,” said Pitawanakwat.
“They changed all the names in our area; the lake, the islands…they renamed so many of our places. Which is so sad, so disrespectful I feel.”
Accounts such as these are far from rare, and oftentimes what motivates people toward social action.
Andy Garrow, director of youth development at Katimavik, has dedicated his life and position within Katimavik to “lifting up Indigenous nations and bringing back the prominence of who we are.”
“To come here this evening and this afternoon, to be able to participate in an event where we’re recognizing and acknowledging the Indigenous history and peoples that have been here since time immemorial, is a special way to do,” said Garrow.
For more information on Katimavik and their projects, visit katimavik.org.
