Patrick Taillefer
At Immaculata High School, the young students of Team Mikinak have built a safe space for everyone who wishes to join their inclusive family. While attending a meeting of Team Mikinak, participating students can expect to learn various facts and historical knowledge about Canada’s Indigenous roots, while simultaneously engaging with other young, like-minded individuals who hope for a united tomorrow.
Patrick Taillefer (left) of The Mainstreeter is joined by Immaculata High School teacher Dana Leahey at a recent Team Mikinak meeting. Photo by Lorne Abugov
The Mainstreeter attended a Team Mikinak meeting on November 13th. At the meeting, team co-leaders Brayden and Maria, both 17 years of age, provided their fellow students with an Indigenous dish culturally known as “Three Sister Soup”, composed of three plants – corn, squash and beans – which are traditionally grown together in Indigenous communities.
Maria took charge of explaining the historical significance of the dish to her peers. “It represents that mutual symbiotic relationship between the three plants and coincides with the Indigenous way of seeing,” she explained. “Learning together, growing together, and seeing the world as one. So it’s really important that as we eat the dish, to appreciate the history behind it.”
Enthusiastic group of student members of the Team Mikinak. Photo by Lorne Abugov
Maria also went on to recount the origin of the term “Mikinak”, which translates to “turtle” in Indigenous language, and its history associated with Indigenous culture. “The significance behind the word ‘Mikinak’ or ‘turtle’ refers to Indigenous spirituality where their homeland of North America is depicted on the back of a turtle’s shell,” she explained.
Team Mikinak was formed at Immaculata in 2015 by former Indigenous students to promote awareness and reconnection for other students sharing Indigenous heritage. The layout of the meeting room itself was organized with various Indigenous banners linked to Indigenous spirituality and a circular assembly of wooden benches where the students assemble to participate in each session.
A student painting adorns the team’s meeting room. Photo by Lorne Abougov
“I decided to join Team Mikinak to help bring awareness to those who are not educated about Indigenous history,” a 10th grade student explained. “I also joined due to personal reasons as I have a strong passion for the culture.”
In an interview, co-leader Brayden described his reasons for joining Team Mikinak and assuming a leadership position. Citing reconciliation as the Team’s primary objective, he explained some of the harsh realities of life as an Indigenous person still living on reserves in 2023. “In today’s society, there are a lot of issues regarding Indigenous peoples, their access to clean drinking water and clean environments in their reserves,” he noted. “By being a part of Team Mikinak, it gives me the chance to give back to my community and learn about different cultures and history. It’s a great space to connect with people and learn about what we can do to find solutions to enhance the quality of life of Indigenous peoples in Canada.”
Indigenous people make up 5% of all Canadians according to the 2021 census, with approximately 1,807,250 Canadians claiming Indigenous heritage. Of the population counted, 58% claimed to be of First Nations descent, while 34.5% identified as Métis and 3.9% as Inuit. Ontario had the largest Indigenous population of all Canadian provinces and territories in 2021 with 406,590 people, which accounted for 2.9% of all people in the province. British Columbia ranked in second place at 290,210, making up 5.9% of people in the province, followed by Alberta at 284,470 people and Manitoba at 237,190 people.
Team Mikinak meeting benches surround traditional Indigenous medicine wheel carpet. Photo by Lorne Abougov
Two teachers at Immaculata provide supervision and assistance to the members of Team Mikinak. Dayna Leahey and Vanessa Faubert, who is herself Indigenous, work with the students to help them raise awareness of Indigenous cultures and issues within Immaculata, and to help them fundraise for Indigenous causes.
With more young people getting involved and informed, Immaculata’s Team Mikinak has taken positive action to highlight the importance of educating the youth of tomorrow about Indigenous culture and history. Immaculata has provided Team Mikinak students with all the tools needed for success. One can only wonder what these dedicated young people can
