Thunderbird eggs returned to their ‘nest’ in Kettle and Stony Point First Nation

Two Ancient stone balls returned to their homes Kettle and Stony Point First Nation Last Tuesday on the shore of Lake Huron.

The stones are called kettles because their shape and size resemble cooking pots and were found in the community about 220 kilometers southwest of Toronto.

they have Cultural significance to AnishinaabekKnowledge keepers describe Kettle Point Beach as the nesting place of the Thunderbird: powerful spirits who offer protection and bring healing rain to communities in exchange for keeping their sacred places safe, There are kettle eggs,

It is believed that this point is a source of power which gets exhausted when the stones are removed.

Christy Bressette, member of Kettle and Stony Point and vice-provost for Indigenous Initiatives at Western University in London, Ontario, was instrumental in getting the kettle returned to the university’s possession.

“Bringing sacred objects back home, such as thunderbird eggs, is extremely important to the community and is a really great place to start,” Bressette said.

“Our work is not done.”

Bressette said sharing indigenous knowledge provides “sustainable solutions” and benefits everyone, not just indigenous communities.

“This work is supporting a much larger effort where we are not only reconciled with each other, but also with the Earth,” he said.

The kettle was welcomed home with a pipe ceremony and a song of honor.

Bernard George, who spoke during the repatriation ceremony, said it was an important day because the Thunderbird is sacred to the Anishnabek people. It is in the flag of their nation and in their stories and traditions.

He said that when he was growing up, elders told him that during a storm the Thunderbird comes to warn people to pay attention, and when the kettle crackles, their spirit goes out.

Jordan George, language revitalization and communications coordinator for Kettle and Stony Point, was in the rehab work group and said she felt “complete” after being given back.

He added, “But I also know that this is the first step on a journey to repatriate and care for thousands of other stones taken from our shores.”

He said that there were three kettles in the university. The largest and smallest, along with several pieces, were returned to the nation last Tuesday.

Another kettle, which was carried when glaciers melted during the Ice Age and was discovered during excavations for the university’s Weldon Library, will remain at the university.

From ‘Age of Fishes’

are rocks calcite condensation And they can burst if kept out of water. Desmond Moser, assistant dean for decolonization in Western’s Faculty of Science, said this is because rainwater, which is slightly acidic, can enter through small fractures causing the minerals in the kettle to dissolve.

The kettles are unique because of their structure and age, he said. Some were formed in the Devonian period (or Age of Fishes) of the Paleozoic era, 370 million years ago.

The largest kettle returned last Tuesday was discovered in the 1990s, donated to the university by a gravel mine owner and used in a teaching rock garden.

Moser said that he and his colleagues did not know anything about the cultural significance of the kettles or that they should not have been moved.

He said last Tuesday’s ceremony was just what the community wanted and it provided an opportunity for scientists to learn.

“Historically geologists, non-Indigenous geologists, haven’t really understood or even taken the time to understand the relationships Indigenous peoples have with rocks and lands,” he said.

David Cloud, a knowledge keeper and council member, said that as a child he always wanted to see the Thunderbird egg come home and he could not believe it finally happened.

He grew up near an area known as “The Nest” by the lake because of the concentration of eggs there, and learned teachings about them from his grandparents.

Soon children in the community will learn those lessons in their elementary school.