On Saturday March 22, members of the board of directors of Ginawaydaganuc presented a progress report on the Ginawaydaganuc Village called “Nurturing the Vision” The board includes the chair and executive director of the project John Henri Commanda, an Anishinaabe (Ojibway) of the Eagle Clan as well as Chuck Commanda, grandson of William Commanda, revered Algonquin elder and spiritual leader and chief of the Kitigan Zibi First Nation near Maniwaki, Quebec from 1951 to 1970. Also attending the event was the renowned Blackfoot architect Douglas Cardinal who created the conceptual designs and a feasibility study for the village.
Ginawaydaganuc Village (GV), founded in 2022 in Almonte, Ontario, is an Indigenous-led non-profit dedicated to building a traditional Indigenous Elders’ Teaching Lodge, and an eco-sensitive educational and tourist center. It is rooted in cultural heritage and guided by self-sufficiency, sustainability, and community empowerment. “Ginawaydaganuc,” is an Algonquin word meaning “we/all things are connected,”
At the beginning of the event, Jean Henri Commanda noted that due to Donald Trump’s threats to Canadian sovereignty, non-indigenous “visitors” (he does not use the term settlors) now understand what indigenous communities have experienced since European arrival.
The presentation indicated that since its inception, Ginawaydaganuc has
- Established a board of directors and governance model.
- Hired core employees and created HR policies
- Acquired and set up key operations tools and functions (such as banking, bookkeeping, MS 365 with Sharepoint and associated tools, Donor Perfect CRM software, and more).
- Established an advisory circle comprised of over 20 committed volunteers with considerable skills and expertise.
- Hired a team of fundraising consultants to support land acquisition, operations and program seed funding.
- Created an indigenous tourism operator training curriculum and a green building and materials training curriculum to be offered at the Academy.
- Secured conceptual drawings and a feasibility study from internationally renowned Blackfoot architect, Douglas Cardinal.
- Developed detailed multi-year strategic and operational plans.
- Created a comprehensive fundraising campaign that enhances organizational growth and sustainability and created marketing tools, including a website and social media, and payment portal.
- Hosted an inaugural Community Information Session on March 23, 2023, with Indigenous food, entertainment and a presentation.
- Hosted an inaugural Advisory Circle Meeting on February 3rd, 2024 enabling it to attract a group of volunteers
- Held its first Annual Board of Directors Retreat in April 2024 to:
- celebrate its successes
- reaffirm commitment to the GV
- governance structure
- review its strategic business plan
- identify priorities
- For a further information about Ginawaydaganuc, see https://ginawaydaganuc.ca/
For an organization which started from a idea two years ago, these accomplishments show commitment and dynamism BUT, although they are looking for land in the Almonte area, they have not found anything suitable, nor do they yet have the funds to purchase land.
Douglas Cardinal offered an insight into his personal history which in itself, indicated the difficulty that indigenous children face in a white society. He is from the Blackfoot Nation in southern Alberta and attended residential school. It was rough, he commented, but he found music to feed his soul. He learned to play and to compose but was attracted to architecture, which is considered the mother of all the arts as far as the church is concerned.
He said that the Elders always led him to look at the good side of things – there is no bad; he had to find the good in everything. After matriculation, he wanted to attend university to become an architect, but he was tod he didn’t have the background. He persisted and found a home at the University of Texas, a school that wanted to integrate against the pressure of the surrounding locals who did not want the university to accept coloured students. At that university he became involved in human rights and he graduated with honours.
Mr. Cardinal came back to Alberta to use his talents in Canada creating his company in 1964. He became a forerunner of philosophies of sustainability, green buildings and ecologically designed community planning, expressing his belief that all things are connected. He said that all of his teachings are applied in Ginawaydaganuc.
When he came to Ottawa to design the Museum of Civilisation (now the Museum of History) in Gatineau, the Elders of his nation advised him to contact William Commanda. He asked Leader Commanda to guide him on his journey. Mr. Cardinal expressed his gratitude to William Commanda for that guidance.
Mr. Cardinal’s contribution to society has been outstanding. His stellar work includes his accomplishment as primary architect of the Museum of the American Indian for the Smithsonian in Washington as well as the Museum of History in Ottawa and many more projects in North America, particularly in Canada. An early commission, St Mary’s Church in Red Deer Alberta, (1968) Was honoured with a postage stamp in 2007.
