Confidence, community, culture, and most of all, camaraderie.
That’s what Greater Sudbury Police’s now fourth annual Mooz Akinonmaaget Maa Aki Moose Hunt is all about.
A partnership with Niijaansinaanik Child and Family Services, Nogdawindamin Family & Community Services, Kina Gbehzgomi Child and Family Services, Children’s Aid Society, Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre, Restorative Justice Sudbury, the Crown’s Office and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the project is designed to promote the spiritual, physical, emotional and mental well-being of Indigenous Youth in Sudbury.
Youth are paired with a GSPS Officer and an agency mentor throughout the summer and into the fall, where together they learn about traditional Anishnawbek values through the seven grandfather teachings and participate in training and activities including hunting education, firearms safety, First Aid, tactical demonstrations, the moose hunt and teachings on gratitude and giving thanks.
The program was launched by Det.-Const. Darrell Rivers, Indigenous liaison officer for GSPS, on July 3 at Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre.
He told Sudbury.com that over the course of four years, he has seen tremendous growth in the youth from first meeting to feasting.
“They're very quiet, introverted, to start. Once we spend time with youth, sharing and learning the different teachings, they build the rapport, and then it really comes out during the hunt,” he said.
“When we go out to the land, that's when the interactions are really involved. And when the relationships really solidify.”
Rivers said that it’s a wonderful learning opportunity for police as well, with members from GSPS, Anishinabek Police Service and Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service taking part in the initiative.
Lyle Peltier, who serves a mentor through his role with Kina Gbehzgomi Child and Family Services, told Sudbury.com that the program also offers the chance for youth to see police in a more positive situation, learning that they too are “human.”
“For the most part, youth still look at police as authoritative figures, and when they meet, sometimes it's a good experience, or maybe a not-so good experience,” he said. “But when they begin to begin to interact and socialize with the officers on a human or personal level, beyond the uniform, they begin to recognize that they are just other individuals in the community, and understanding starts to form.”
The Moose Hunt will take place over a weekend in September followed by a traditional feast.
Jenny Lamothe covers vulnerable and marginalized communities for Sudbury.com.
