Elder Shirley I. Williams to Speak at Lakefield United Church Hall, Sun. July 16, 11am.

Press Release

July 07, 2017

Lakefield, ON – Elder Shirley Williams, pictured here with the late Richard Wagamese at the 2014 Lakefield Literary Festival, is the invited guest speaker for the 2017 Festival at Lakefield United Church Sunday, July 16 at 11am.

Shirley Ida Williams nee Pheasant (Neganigwane) is a member of the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve, Manitoulin Island. Her long and very distinguished career began at Trent University in 1982, through George Brown College, Lakehead U., Oklahoma U. and eventually her Masters in Environmental Studies at York U. in 1996. She has been honoured with many awards for excellence in Indigenous education, been a guest speaker internationally, a cultural advisor, translator, and she spoke with Murray St Clair at the Governor General’s Truth and Reconciliation Gathering in Toronto. She is deeply passionate about Indigenous knowledge and language revitalization.

Completing the circle, she received her full professorship at Trent in 2003 and continues, after 18 years teaching there, to teach part time. She has also self-published several books.

At Lakefield United Church on July 16, 11am, she and Dorothy Taylor of Curve Lake First Nation, will first perform the Smudging Ceremony and the Water Ceremony in the open air under the trees, and will drum and sing together. She will then, as part of the morning service, give her illustrated talk “When I was a Child, a poem of my personal experiences on growing up fishing along with my father and how I was taught about the appreciation of water, land and earth and self. It is about listening to the sounds of the environment.”

Shirley is a person of great personal presence, wisdom and warmth of spirit, willing to share her stories and those of the first people of this land. All are welcome to come, listen and be moved by her words.

ILR5