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KEJIMKUJIK SPIRITUAL GATHERING
September 23rd,
24th and 25th, 2011
This year's theme:
"Remembering the Elders Who Have Passed"
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Autumn... a time to quiet our Spirits and reflect upon the many lessons, teachings and gifts we have been honoured
with... indeed a time for reflection. |
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- Muiniskw
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Come join us at this year's Gathering at Keji. It will be a time for all to relax, and to allow the land to up-lift your being.
In all the years we have held this Gathering at this special place, people have
always gone away feeling rejuvenated. It is definitely the place to which all can come and re-connect to their spirits,
to the spirits of Keji and to the land. This year's
Gathering will be a bit different. We have lost many Elders and
spiritual leaders over the last year, including our own Muin'iskw. This
Gathering will reflect on the wisdom we have lost, and provide an
opportunity to share our stories of these beloved people. |
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NOTE:
At the request of the park, to identify participants and to facilitate
entry to the park, we have created a special pass for participants of
the Gathering. Please print this pass and bring it with you.
Display the pass in your vehicle at all times while you are at the park.
Click
HERE to display the
pass, and print it.
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schedule: |
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Friday, Sep 23rd: |
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Friday
will be mostly a set-up day. |
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8pm |
Informal
Talking Circle, mostly introductions and so forth, and we will
go over plans for the weekend and start lining up volunteers to
tend the Sacred Fire. |
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| Saturday,
Sep 24th |
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9am |
Greeting
the Day ceremony |
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We
will have a pipe ceremony to open the Gathering, and light the
Sacred Fire immediately afterwards. |
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There will not be any sweats taking place this year, because all
of our lodge keepers are in mourning. However, there will be
both a men's and women's talking circle at the Sacred Site
adjacent to the lodge. |
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9pm |
General
Talking Circle |
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| Sunday,
Sep 25th |
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9am |
Greeting
the Day ceremony. |
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Sunday
will be primarily a day for participants to get ready for their
trip home. |
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2pm |
Feast,
followed by Give-Away ceremony. |
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We
know it can be hard to leave Keji after the Gathering. For those who are planning on staying over until Monday, we will have another Talking Circle on Sunday Night. |
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This is what the schedule looks like for the weekend. However, keep in mind that activities may change, depending on time and weather.
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| Other
good information: |
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If you are going through the trouble of coming to
the Gathering, we strongly urge you to partake in all ceremonies. Also,
everyone is encouraged to help out with the little things that need to
be done to make the Gathering a success, such as cooking and tidying the
covered shelter area. In particular, we urge you to take a turn as
keeper of the Sacred Fire. We will help to fill you in on what your
responsibilities are, and you will find that it is a wonderful
experience. Overall, the Gathering has always depended on the same
teamwork that allowed our ancestors to survive and thrive.
Part of the teamwork also consists of helping out
with kitchen chores. We have decided to move away from disposable dishes
and be more responsible by using normal plates and such. We ask everyone
to wash their own dishes and implements, rather than leave them for
someone else. Please remember, NOBODY at this Gathering is staff, and
nobody is paid for the work that they do... please pitch in and take
care of your own mess.
If you are bringing children along, please remember
that the evening Talking Circles will be for adults, as these sometimes can become intense and children should not be subjected to some
of the things being shared.
Due to some unfortunate incidents in the past, we
must insist that family pets be left at home. This of course does not
include service animals, who are always welcome here.
Camping is FREE for this
event. When you arrive at the Park please let attendants at Gate or at the Visitors Centre
know you are here for the Gathering.
Signs will direct you to where the Gathering events will take place. All we ask is please RESPECT our Park.
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What to bring
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How to get to
Keji
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Pictures from recent
Gatherings: 2006
2009 |
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ALCOHOL AND DRUG FREE
Please refrain from use of
alcohol or recreational drugs at least 4 days before attending this Gathering! |
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Looking Forward to Seeing Friends Again! |
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| How it
went in 2009: |
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Keji treated us very gently this year. The weather
was very pleasant, and we even managed to work in an extra sweat. It was
very peaceful, and it almost felt like we were in our own little world,
protected from intrusion by the outside world while we worked on the
things we needed to work on. Many people remarked on the peace, yet also
noted that it seemed there was a great deal of activity going on within
each person.
This year we also stressed teamwork more than
before, and we are proud to say that everyone rallied to the cause and
helped out immensely, rather than leaving everything to those hard-core
few that always carry the load. We offer our thanks to everyone, and
hope that this is a start of a new trend. A note for
coming years: due to an unfortunate incident where a vehicle was
damaged, we must insist that people leave their dogs at home from now
on. Of course, this does NOT include service animals! Nemultes! |
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