The Shawana/Trudeau Family
Anishnawbe Health Toronto Holds Special Place in Family’s Hearts
Anishnawbe Health Toronto (AHT) will always be a special place for the Shawana/Trudeau Family of Wikiwemikong First Nation. AHT was strongly supported by their loved ones. Joanna Shawana started working for AHT in 1989. Her dad Nelson contributed wild game and fish for the many cultural ceremonies that took place at AHT including Naming Ceremonies and the feasts after seasonal fasts. According to Joanna, Nelson didn’t always live traditional ways but through his everyday livelihood and lifestyle, he always taught his family to live off the land through hunting and fishing. One of his biggest lessons was to give back to the community and donating his harvest was his contribution.
Joanna’s mother Rebecca spent many years being a stay-at-home mom of 11 and a homemaker. When she moved to Toronto, Rebecca started working for AHT as a maintenance worker. Her work with the agency was her very first job. Rebecca spent many years with AHT as a cleaner and eventually a cook for many ceremonial feasts and board meetings. The contributions to the agency showed their passion, commitment and love for what AHT strives for every day – the connection to culture through food and laughter.
The Shawana/Trudeau Family collectively gathered donations to honor their late parents and grandparents with a gift through the Indigenous Peoples’ Landscape Campaign. The family paid tribute to Nelson Jawana baa and Rebecca Trudeau baa by adding their names the virtual donor wall for the campaign.
To find out more about how you can support the Indigenous Peoples’ Landscape, please visit www.supportanishnawbe.ca/indigenous-peoples-landscape