Chief Morley Googoo to continue work with the Assembly of First Nations

WaycobahChief Morley Googoo is starting his third consecutive term as regional chief for Newfoundland and Nova Scotia with the Assembly of First Nations.

Googoo said Monday his priorities are to "restart, re-educate and refresh."

Those are the buttons that need to be pushed to ensure reconciliation takes place, he said, and to spread an awareness of Mi'kmaq culture.

Googoo continues to promote Mi'kmaq participation at non-Aboriginal events. He cites the recent Atlantic University Sport basketball championship where chiefs and artists were invited to take part.

"It's giving those kind of opportunities to our drummers and our dancers, our culture, our traditions to show a light I don't think people get to see all the time," he said.

"And remember during the days of residential schools these kind of things were outlawed, so it's important today that we refresh and create increased visibility to our culture."

Googoo is also partnering with Gord Downie (Tragically Hip) on a Secret Path Legacy project.

Downie launches Legacy Roomproject in Halifax

A spinoff will create "legacy rooms" in public spaces and restaurants across the country. Googoo said the rooms will be safe places where people can start to talk about reconciliation.

"I do believe a lot of people do want to do things," he said. The first legacy rooms will open in Halifax this April, he said, at the Barrington Steakhouse, Armbrae Academy and Dalhousie University.