Saturday November 3: The power of water in Orillia

Becky Big Canoe to be at Canadian Storytelling Night at the Orillia Museum of Art and History.

News release from Canadian Storytelling Night

Water is a deep subject.

Jump in with Storytelling Orillia on Nov. 3, when guest teller Becky Big Canoe brings stories about her understanding of the nature of water and the work she does to care for it. She will make her presentation at the Orillia Museum of Art and History (OMAH).

Called “Running Deep, The Power of Water”, this is the seventh Canadian Storytelling Night held in Orillia.

Becky is a Water Walker and water advocate, a mother of two and grandmother of two, a member of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation, and a woman who has walked around Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching carrying a copper kettle full of water.

Accompanied by other walkers, Becky made the journey in 2014 to raise money for the health of the lakes, praying and giving thanks for the life-giving properties of the water that is in them.

A teller at the Storytelling Orillia’s “Strong Women” event in 2016, Becky has dedicated her life to the safekeeping of our waterways. She has a big heart that shines brightly through her stories.

The folk band Alex will bring its blend of instruments and rich vocal harmonies, singing songs about water to keep the evening flowing along. Storytelling Orillia’s master storyteller, Bob Graham, will act as MC.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7:00 p.m. start, and $10 tickets are available from OMAH.

Water is the 2018 theme of Canadian Storytelling Night across the country, based on the teachings of Storytelling Orillia’s storytelling elder, Mark Douglas, of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. Canadian Storytelling Night’s journey around the traditional medicine wheel means we are now facing west to talk about water.

“When we are born, we are 90 percent water and as adults we are 70 percent. We are all born through water, and live with it all around us,” says Christine Douglas, also a member of Chippewas of Rama First Nation (Mnjikaning) and of Storytelling Orillia.

“In the Ojibwe tradition, men are responsible for the fire and women are responsible for the water. We are the life givers,” Christine adds. “Kind words affect the water in our bodies positively while unkind words have the opposite effect.”

OMAH recently had an exhibit called Primordial Waters, which ran through to July 15. The talented artists involved “explored the importance of water to a community’s healthy wellbeing” and “delved into the essence and spirit of water”.

Storytelling Orillia will continue that spirit through storytelling and music.

ABOUT US
Canadian Storytelling Night–Soirée nationale du conte in late fall gives Canadian storytelling groups a reason to gather at the turn of the year when the nights grow longer and colder. Canadian Storytelling Night began in 2012 in Orillia and is now celebrated across the country, with help from Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts.