Chimnissing

Robin Pacific made videos with children of Beausoleil First Nation, in the Summer Library Reading Program on Christian Island (known as Chimnissing), on Georgian Bay.

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The children wrote poems, made animated drawings, talked about their dreams and their aspirations, and their favourite places on the Island. They interviewed elders talking about their artwork, and also interviewed then Chief Roland Monague.

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Local videographer Peter Blackhorse Peters directed and edited the videos, and supplied original music.

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The children supplied the footage of each other.

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Dream Poems

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I dreamt I was stuck on an island and I had to lasso 20 seagulls, and I only lassoed 19 seagulls.  So them I told them to start flapping their wings, then when I pulled the lasso backwards and the seagulls’ necks snapped and then I was stuck on the island for a couple of more years.  I found scrap metal and I built big mechanical wings and I flew back to Christian Island.  And when I got back to the Island it was all a dream.

—Thomas

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I dreamt that I got caught by a hawk,

I dreamt that I was eaten by a snake

I dreamt that I got drugged by drunks

I dreamt that I got drugged by a ghost

I dreamt I died.

—Sasha

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Wish Poems

 

I wish I was a purple kitty with blue spots

I wish I was going across a pink sea on a green boat

I wish I had a yellow lamb with a blue baby lamb

I wish I was blue.

—Natalya

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I wish I had a purple monkey that has superpowers

I wish that I could jump over orange clouds

I wish I had a blue mustang and a green Lamborghini

I wish everything was rainbow

I wish my little sister Violet was an awesome dog

I wish I had Bill Gate’s gold

—Monica