Disclaimer: names in the story have been changed to protect individuals’ privacy
Dear Reader,
My name is Elsie Zhang! I’m currently a second-year Master of Public Health student in the Indigenous Health stream at the University of Toronto. I grew up on the traditional lands of the Mississaugas, Haudenosaunee, Wendat, and the Anishinaabe Peoples, also known as the Greater Toronto Area. I’ve been a city person my entire life. This summer, I have been granted the opportunity to complete an internship with the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis (FNIM) Program team at SE Health. This has been an exciting opportunity for me! I’m currently in the final month of my internship, and I wanted to share a highlight from my experience here, which was my trip to Muskrat Dam First Nation.
The team was asked to deliver a health workshop in Muskrat Dam, home to approximately 150-300 people. At first, I was pretty intimidated by the itinerary because it would take almost 10 hours of travelling (all within Ontario). My journey started around 11:30 am at Billy Bishop Airport, where I flew two hours from Toronto to Thunder Bay and met up with Corey (Program Director). We travelled together for 45 minutes from Thunder Bay to Sioux Lookout. Our next and final plane out of Sioux Lookout probably fits 15 people, as we travelled another hour to Bearskin Lake First Nation. The plane sizes progressively got smaller and smaller. After one last 15-minute plane ride, we reached Muskrat Dam at nearly 11 pm. We were greeted by the spitting rain and the mosquitoes. But after a long day of travel, we were happy to finally reach our destination.
We were unsure about getting into the community, as it was about a 10-minute drive from the airport. Naturally, in a town of about 200 people, there aren’t any Ubers to call. There was also no cell service from our regular providers. Luckily, there was free Wi-Fi from Wasaya Airways inside the airport to send some messages. We waited around for a little bit to figure out our ride and luggage while I tried to swat away all the mosquitoes landing on me.
Lots of trucks were waiting outside to pick up their loved ones. A woman noticed Corey and me standing around and asked what we were doing there. I told her that we were doing a health workshop the next day. She responded with, “Oh! You’re Travis’ people! You can come with us.” Without any hesitation, we hopped into her truck with her brother (I presume). They drove us into town and dropped us off at the hotel, where we met up with our other team member, Victoria (Education Liaison), who had arrived early that morning. The hotel was more of a bed and breakfast, which had 5 bedrooms and a single shared bathroom. My room was spacious; it had two twin beds and a TV.
The next morning, we headed over to the hall across the street from our hotel, where we were hosting the workshop. There were only about 5-6 people who showed up for the workshop at first. An Elder came to say a prayer to start us off in a good way. Corey presented Traditional tobacco to her, and she stayed with us for the day. We introduced ourselves, then Victoria started us off with a presentation on mental health. By lunchtime, more people started to trickle in, including some of the high school students sent to join the workshop. I later learned the students were only in town for the summer because they attend high school outside of the community. The school in the community only went up to grade 9. So, the high schoolers spend most of the year in Thunder Bay or Sioux Lookout.
For lunch, we ate some delicious food made by two local aunties they hired to make food for the day. There was a wide selection including sandwiches, chili, chicken noodle soup, pizza, and more. Because everything must be flown in, the food options were limited. Instead of fresh milk in cartons or bags, everyone drank canned evaporated milk, probably because it’s easiest to transport. Pizza was flown into the community by the locals coming in and out of town every day. Though some community members mentioned they preferred to make their pizza at home. There was only one store in Muskrat Dam, probably only as big as an average 7/11.
Victoria asked the aunties if we could take some soup and fried chicken from lunch to go for our dinner. They graciously agreed, and they helped us pack our soup into an empty pitcher they found in the kitchen with tinfoil on top. Despite the unorthodox takeout container, the soup was still delicious reheated. I much prefer an auntie’s cooking over fast-food takeout anyway.
An older woman walked in during lunch and said to us, “I saw all the cars outside on my walk, I knew there must be something going on! Can I join?”
Corey said, “Of course, do you work in health too?”
Her response was, “No, but I’ll join!” She continued to sit with us for the rest of our two-day workshop. Many people came in and out throughout the two days. I was pleasantly surprised by the prevalence of the Oji-Cree language in the community. Len, the health director, translated our introductions to the Elders, who only spoke Oji-Cree. Len later told me that the Elders were his aunts, and they’re a loud bunch. It was wonderful to hear so many people speaking their traditional language because I know many communities have lost their language and are in the process of revitalizing it. Most people living in the community were fluent in both Oji-Cree and English, except for the younger generation, who could understand but couldn’t speak. One of the high schoolers told me that she almost failed Ojibwe class in school because it’s so different from Oji-Cree.
The following evening, Chief Kara showed up at our door, asking if we wanted to go to a fire they were hosting. We all agreed. Chief Kara personally took us up to the fire and gave us a tour of the band office. The band office gifted us all a Muskrat Dam mug and a handmade bird sitting on a piece of cedarwood. A pink dreamcatcher in the office caught my eye because it had a Maple Leafs logo in the middle. I always find it funny how sports can bring us together. Especially when, proximity-wise, Muskrat Dam is much closer to Winnipeg, yet I noticed many people repping the Maple Leafs gear. I guess all Ontarians are Maple Leafs fans!
We walked over to the fire, where we got to meet a few more locals. It was right by the lake, so Corey, Victoria and I stood and admired the beautiful views. We took lots of pictures and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows with everyone. I made a s’more for myself. A local named Alan told me they were supposed to build a dam out in the water, but the townspeople said no (because they have a power plant now). I witnessed a little girl, Angel, drop three hot dogs into the fire while she attempted to roast them. She eventually got banned from roasting any more hot dogs.
The next morning, our trip came to an end. Travis dropped us off, he helped us tag our luggage at the airport, and we took a group picture before he left. Then, Len showed up to drop off one of his aunts at the airport. He was happy to catch us before we left. Len exchanged emails with Corey and started chatting with us, inviting us to come back again sometime. Right before we boarded our flight home, he stopped me and said, “George, Mason. Add me on Facebook!” I was a little confused because I thought his name was Len the whole time, at least that’s what everyone called him. But of course, I added him once I landed in Sioux Lookout. And my wonderful trip came to an end. I am so thankful for the warm and wonderful welcome we received in the community. It is an experience I will never forget and thankful for the knowledge that was shared with me. I’m grateful to Corey and SE Health for the opportunity to visit Northern Ontario for the first time. I’ll never forget it! And I hope to visit more communities in the future.
