People from Neskantaga First Nation reconnect at powwow amid evacuation

Michelle Allan · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 28, 2025 10:56 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Evacuees from Neskantaga First Nation gathered astatine a powwow successful Thunder Bay, Ont., Sunday to unite arsenic the assemblage grapples with the flooding and the the closure of its lone nursing station. 

About 150 radical  have been evacuated from their homes and are temporarily staying successful Thunder Bay, said powwow organizer Craig Moonias.

He said surviving successful a edifice hundreds of kilometres from location has been a hard acquisition for galore evacuees, particularly for children and elders from the First Nation.

"We're doing arsenic overmuch arsenic we tin to person activities and tract trips and crippled nights, trying to marque things easier for everyone. Especially with younker and children. They get restless," helium said.

The powwow was a invited distraction for homesick evacuees, said Moonias. The drumming, singing and dancing gave radical an accidental to link with others, and their culture. 

"Watching children creation and sing, you know, It warms my heart," helium said. 

Dancer Wabanaang Mandamin from Shoal Lake 39 First Nation said the powwow gave radical an accidental to enactment each other portion Neskantaga faces ongoing challenges. 

"I creation for my family, I creation for my people, I creation for my community," said Mandamin, "And it's conscionable bully to get unneurotic to link and person immoderate fun."

Nursing presumption not yet fixed

The nursing presumption is the lone wellness attraction work disposable successful the distant assemblage of little than 400 people. Last week, Neskantaga officials said repairs to the nursing presumption volition instrumentality 10 to 14 days to complete.

Based connected the pictures he's seen, Moonias said helium thinks the repairs are acold from finished.

"It's inactive beauteous overmuch flooded adjacent astir the session and the nursing station. And it's benignant of stressful," helium said.

Neskantaga was previously evacuated successful 2019 and 2020 aft challenges with its h2o attraction plant. The Anishinaabe assemblage has been nether a 30-year-long boil-water advisory– the longest of immoderate First Nation successful Canada. 

While 14-year-old Bedahbun Moonias  misses her location successful Neskantaga First Nation, she said seeing galore of the assemblage members gathered for the powwow was a bully distraction.

"I deliberation it's truly bully to get radical together, particularly during a clip similar this, due to the fact that erstwhile your assemblage is going done a crisis, you request your people."

She spoke with CBC News five years agone portion she and astir 300 different Neskantaga members were evacuated to Thunder Bay during a abstracted crisis. 

Reflecting connected the erstwhile evacuation, Moonias said she inactive feels similar the assemblage and its needs are often forgotten. 

"We merit to person rights to the close healthcare," she said.

Moonias has been surviving successful Thunder Bay with household since September 2023 due to the fact that her grandma needed to beryllium person to the city's wellness attraction resources. 

"I unrecorded with my grandparents and I tin spot connected their faces that they miss location and if we get a amended nursing presumption with the close healthcare that our full assemblage needs, that would beryllium truly great," she said.