Brady Ferguson A traditional Ojibwa pipe ceremony was conducted for the health of Brady Ferguson, the grandson of Frank and Shirley Sorrels of St. Ignace, at the Museum of Ojibwa Culture Sunday, September 27. Mrs. Sorrels is the museum curator.

Mr. Ferguson developed a rare form of brain abscess from an abscessed baby tooth, Frank Sorrels said. Having undergone surgery two times to remove the abscess, he may need to return to the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children again. Mr. Sorrels requested that Tony Grondin of St. Ignace, known by his spirit name of Biboon NiNi meaning "Winter Man," to aid in a ceremony to pray for his grandson.

The ceremony begins by placing a mixture of herbs, including tobacco, called kinnikinnick, in a small wooden bowl. The bowl is passed to each person who takes a pinch of it in their left hand-- the hand closest to one's heart-- and says a prayer for the subject. The bowl is passed to each person in the group until everyone has recited their prayers is holding a bit of the herbs. The bowl is passed around again to each person, who replaces the herbs. When all of the kinnikinnick is re-collected in the bowl, Mr. Grondin packs the herbs into a pipe and smokes all of it. The mixture is believed to absorb the prayers recited, which are then drawn through the pipe and sent to the creator as smoke, he said.

Members of the AuSable Valley A's Model A Ford Club stand by their cars near the Museum of Ojibwa Culture. The members (from left) are Jerry and Margaret Sheick, Tom and Betty Shoulders, Dave and Cathy Kuba, Bob and Shirley Tamplin, Frank and Shirley Sorrels, and Dave and Donna Auger. The club made their annual journey to St. Ignace and took time to participate in a traditional Ojibwa pipe ceremony for Mr. and Mrs. Sorrels' grandson, Brady Ferguson. Mr. Sorrels and his friends from the AuSable Valley A's Model A Ford Club, who drove to St. Ignace in their antique cars for their annual visit, participated in the ceremony Sunday afternoon. Everyone sent their prayers in hope that the youngster would make a recovery from his sickness.

Young Mr. Ferguson hopes to write a book about his illness, and has begun recording his experiences for the project, Mrs. Sorrels said. The Make a Wish Foundation will aid him in writing the book using the recordings.