Mural above Learning Centre entrance by
Totem Doodem, Jordan Stranger
Click to listen to Artist's Interpretation of Mural
We are grateful for our Elder Mary Courchene and Elder Dan Thomas, SOSD's Divisional Elders, who guide and support the Seven Oaks School Division community.
Miigwech, Elder Mary Courchene and Elder Dan Thomas, for your gifts that have supported the creation of this new place of learning.
On September 27, 2018, Elder Dan Thomas and Elder Mary Courchene held a Naming and Pipe and Water Ceremony on this land. Elder Mary Courchene shared that she had a dream where the name "Land-Based Teachings Learning Centre" came to her. During the Pipe Ceremony, Elder Dan had a vision of a blue thunderbird "whose wings were outspread, covering this land here that we are on." Our name is a combination of these two visions.
Our name was given in Anishinaabemowin. The first part of our name, "Ozhaawashkwaa Animikii-Bineshi", translates to Blue Thunderbird. The second part of our name, "Aki Onji Kinimaagae' Inun", translates to Land-Based Teachings Learning Centre. Together, both Elders' visions form our name.
After the naming ceremony, we feasted and put out tobacco for the name. The name is honoured by the feast. We will continue to feast each year to honour the name that was given.
We will mark the territory over which the Bineshi spread its wings. We will do this by placing a post at each corner of the land, and tied to each post will be four coloured ribbons.
This is how we pronounce our name:
Ozhaawashkwaa (oh-sha-wass-gwa) = Blue
Animiki (a-ni-mi-key) = Thunder
Bineshi (bi-neh-she) = Bird
Aki (a-ki) = Land
Onji (oohn-ji) = Where someone comes from
Kinimaagae' (ki-ni-mah-gi) = To teach
Inun (in-nun) = A place of learning
As we learn to pronounce our full Anishinaabemowin name, Mary and Dan have offered us a shortened version: "Aki Centre". This means Land Centre.
View our videos
here, taken on the day of the Naming Ceremony.
Listen
here to Elder Dan as he shares how to pronounce our name in Anishinaabemowin.
