LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
St. Ignace Rendezvous at the Straits Is Worth Continuing
To the Editor:

This is an open letter to the people of the St. Ignace region.

Ani Boujou. Bonjour. Hello.

On behalf of the Kent family of Ossineke, including my wife, Doree, our son, Ben, and his lady, Emily, and the Knecht family of Cheboygan, including Keith, his son, Brant, and his daughters, Ann and Margaret, I would like to express how pleased and honored we all felt to be part of the Rendezvous at the Straits, the reenactment and powwow that took place at St. Ignace last weekend.

We clearly felt the warm welcome that was extended to us, from the kind comments of many individuals at our two camps and at the dance arena, as well as the official words of welcome and appreciation that were delivered at the microphone during both days of festivities.

It was gratifying to have so many visitors come to our camp, both native and non-native individuals, to share in our demonstrations and discussions of the Old Ways of both the native and French populations, and also have them come to the pavilion to hear my presentations on the bebigwun, the native flute.

I was also personally honored to be invited to join in the Grand Entry, to speak at the arena microphone, and to share a few flute songs there. The kind words and gestures, as well as the tobacco, feathers, shells, sweet grass, cedar boughs, and sage that were gifted to us, were all taken to heart and were much appreciated.

During those two fine days, under the warm sun and the blue sky, we all honored well our French and native ancestors, The Old Ones. (By coincidence, within the Kent and Knecht family camps, I was the only individual present who has no known native ancestry. However, various of my French forebears during the 1600s and 1700s had native families that were never recorded on paper, during the extended periods from 1618 on, when they lived with the Ottawa, Huron, Tionontate, Algonkin, and Montagnais nations).

Over the weekend, we forged many links of friendship, created bonds of understanding, and expressed our mutual respect for one another. I am also convinced that we successfully fulfilled our common goal of celebrating the true histories and lives of those who came before us. And, in the process, we helped to promote among ourselves dignity, pride, confidence, and a belief in the goodness of all people.

The mood of open-mindedness at the event was obvious, and it led to a free and easy sharing of knowledge and information.

This event celebrated and paid homage to centuries of shared life of the native and French people, times that included periods of prosperity and happiness, as well as periods of severe challenge and heartbreak.

What is most significant, is that the two populations shared together those times, both the thick ones and the thin ones. Within both communities, most of our ancestors had a great many strengths and some weaknesses, and they made decisions that were usually wise and for the best. However, no people can clearly see into the future and guarantee that only good will result from their actions.

We living descendants have the advantage of hindsight when we access the decisions and actions of those who came before us. And, like our forebears, we, too, hope for a future of health, safety, and contentedness, and a life rich with quiet satisfactions, and we try to make our decisions accordingly.

During the Rendezvous and Powwow last weekend, the many meetings and exchanges of words and gestures within and between the native and non-native communities were good.

These exchanges created a sense of unity and strength, rather than a mood of divisiveness and the weakness that always results from divisions. The combined power of this event was immensely greater than the strengths of each of the separate individuals who participated and attended.

We all had a good purpose in our gathering together, and we are all better for having been there. It is important that this event continue to be celebrated each year at St. Ignace, and that it continue to grow in richness and in depth. We all need to participate in it, and we will thrive all the more by being a part of it.

Way, way, neejee.

A bientot, mes amis.

Until we meet again, my friends.

Tim Kent

Ossineke