1st Annual Igniting the Fire Gathering (2006) - By Turtle Lodge

The First Igniting the Fire Gathering was held at the sacred site of Manitou Api in the geographic centre of Turtle Island (North America) - at Bannock Point in Manitoba's Whiteshell Provincial Park. Elder Dave Courchene received a vision to call the people back to the ancient sacred site, which had been used for thousands of years by the Original Peoples from all over Turtle Island for gathering, meeting, sharing ceremony, dreams, visions and prophecies. This historic first gathering features the late respected Elders Robin Greene and Don Cardinal. The Elders gave special permission for parts of this special ceremonial gathering to be recorded and shared. "During the event of the gathering, there was an appearance of many little turtles. The Elders said this was a sign of a time of a new life, a sign that the rebirth of our people had taken place at this event." The Turtle Lodge is responsible for initiating Igniting the Fire – The Sacred Gathering, an annual gathering of Elders, Youth, Adults, Parents, Students, Educators and Researchers, led by indigenous people and open to people of all cultures and backgrounds. Igniting the Fire – The Sacred Gathering has been held annually in the sacred site of Manitou Api in the Whiteshell Provincial Park, Manitoba, Canada. At this gathering, nations gather the way our ancestors did since time immemorial on our sacred sites, to share knowledge, medicines, ceremonies and prophecies. It is a gathering where our Elders transfer their knowledge to youth and adults, following the protocol of our old ways. The 1st Annual Igniting the Fire gathering was held in 2006, with 350 people attending. In 2007, numbers rose to over 1000. Several documentaries and films have been produced based on the gathering, including The 8th Fire (see www.the8thfire.org). For more information on the Igniting the Fire Gathering, organized by Turtle Lodge, please see: http://www.turtlelodge.org/cause-view/igniting-the-fire/ http://www.turtlelodge.org/staff-view/dave-courchene-jr/

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