Mamoweedow Memories
— Photos & Story by Katie Webb —
Being at Mamoweedow is like looking through a window to the past. No running water, no electricity, a way of living before any modern convenience.
Every summer in July, much of Chisasibi returns to Fort George Island for the annual Mamoweedow festival. It’s a week full of laughter, traditional food and reaffirming connections – both to traditional Cree culture and other community members.
My uncle Barry told me that long before any colonizers set foot on Fort George, we would gather there every summer. It was a meeting place for every family, a time to get to know one another, for love, and for fun. After long winters on your family hunting grounds, this minshtuk (island) was always welcome.
We were eventually settled there after it became a trading post hub. When the community was moved to the new location of Chisasibi on the mainland, my family were some of the last people to leave the island. My uncle Gary told me how lonely and strange it felt as a kid to be the last ones there. With moving to the mainland, there came all the convenience we have today. My aunt Lily told me how bored she was because she didn’t have to fetch water anymore or do any of the old work she did on the island.
Barry told me he was hired as a young guy to help clear the land at Fort George for the first ever Mamoweedow in 1988. He told me that in the first year, everyone left by the river in canoes to Fort George – no barge lines!
I’ve been to many Mamoweedow celebrations as a kid, running around the island, climbing the big ship, but there was a new feeling this year. I noticed that people were eager to tell me about the way things were before. They found an active listener. The celebration sparked conversations of how we used to eat, how we used to clean, what flowers we used for wedding bouquets.
I think the thing that was different with this 30-year anniversary was the pride everyone felt. There’s a lot of joy in sharing the past with the younger generations. However, this could just be that I’m no longer a child jumping from sand cliffs.
Either way, this Mamoweedow holds a special place in my memories. I will always regard it as a time to remember those who came before us, and a chance to connect with my family and my community. Here’s to another 30 years!