New BrunswickAnn's Eye

First Nations and military come together for Indigenous awareness week

A blanket exercise, which Ann Paul joined during the Indigenous Persons Awareness Week at the Gagetown military base, had a great impact.

Military members learn to dance in powwow

CBC News Posted: Jun 18, 2023 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 18, 2023

A man in uniform holds out a smoking bowl while a man wearing a blue suit leans over it. — Warrant Officer Steve Loza performs a smudging ceremony during Indigenous Persons Awareness week at the Gagetown military base. (Ann Paul/CBC)

This is part of a series called Ann's Eye, featuring the work of Ann Paul, a Wolastoqey content creator. You cansee more Ann's Eye pieces by clicking here.

Ann Paul grew up being taught to take back what was hers.

That's why at a recent blanket exercise, which brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to learn about colonization and resistance, Paul couldn't help but not want to give up her land.

She used her feet to pull the blankets back.

"I grew up different," she said. "I am Maggie Paul's daughter."

In a blanket exercise, a floor is covered by a variety of blankets, each representing land occupied by an Indigenous people. One by one, blankets are taken away, and the people on them are asked to leave the floor. By the end, only a few blankets remain.

The experience, which Paul had during the Indigenous Persons Awareness Week at the Gagetown military base in May, is what stuck with her most.

She's done a blanket exercise before, but it was virtual because of the pandemic, and it didn't have a significant effect on her.

WATCH | See what a powwow at a military base looks like:

Ann's Eye: military members join First Nations for a powwow

1 year ago

2:35

Singing, dancing and ceremony were the hallmarks of Indigenous Persons Awareness Week in Gagetown.

This time, though, Paul called the blanket exercise "awakening."

As she stood there in the middle of a pile of blankets, Paul thought of generational trauma, of her uncles who went to residential schools, and she thought of herself, an Indian day school survivor.

She thought about how there's still a long way to go to have real reconciliation.

"It's just starting," she said. "It's not all the way there, not even halfway there."

The week also featured powwow dancing, ceremonies and a flag raising.

Scroll through the photos and watch the video to see what Ann saw.

A line of children with their hands on each other's shoulders stand in a gym. — Children were invited to the Gagetown base powwow. (Ann Paul/CBC)

A group of people dressed in green camouflage dance in a gym. — Military members get a dance lesson during the powwow. (Ann Paul/CBC)

A group of women holding drums stand around a microphone. — Ann Paul joined in the singing and drumming herself. I had my phone on a tripod most of the time, Id be flying by, putting it on record. (Ann Paul/CBC)

A group of children and military members sit on some bleachers in a gym. — Ann Paul attended a blanket ceremony during the week, which made her think of Indigenous children. Youre taken back into the moment. You think about the moment a child is ripped from his mothers arms. Who could not shed a tear in that moment? (Ann Paul/CBC)

A dancer dressed in blue stands in a gym as people watch from the sidelines. — The powwow featured lots of dancing. I always have a good time when I go there, Ann Paul said. (Ann Paul/CBC)

A woman stands outside gesturing toward the ground. To her right is a man dressed in green camouflage clothing. — Wolastoqi elder Imelda Perley performs a pipe ceremony. (Ann Paul/CBC)

A woman wearing a colourful skirt holds up cup. People wearing green camouflage line up next to her. — Even though theyre in the military, theyre people too, Ann Paul said. Sometimes they dont know. Sometimes they dont understand, so that's what were there for. If you want to ask questions, you can ask questions. Not to the point of taking it away and using it for yourself, but if you dont know something, Ill tell you. (Ann Paul/CBC)

A woman dressed in blue stands in front of an eagle on a pole. — The week included a flag raising ceremony. The Truth and Reconciliation flag, pictured here, honours residential school survivors. (Ann Paul/CBC)

A man wearing green camouflage holds out a smoking bowl to a man wearing a blue t-shirt. — Everybody has a choice, and they chose to come there to learn because they needed to know more, Ann Paul said. And they didnt have to be there the ones that were there, they chose to be there. They chose to come and learn, and Im so happy they did. They came out and the hugs were going, and there were tears, lots of tears. It was pretty amazing. (Ann Paul/CBC)

An older and younger woman stand together smiling. — Ann Paul connected with a young military member from Western Canada, Ursula Bear, who wants to reconnect with her culture. (Ann Paul/CBC)

Ann's Eye

Photographer Ann Paul brings an Indigenous lens to stories from First Nations communities across New Brunswick.Click hereor on the image below to see more of her work.

A graphic drawing shows an Indigenous woman holding a camera up to her eye. — (CBC News Graphics)

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First Nations and military come together for Indigenous awareness week

Military members learn to dance in powwow

Ann's Eye

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