Meet some of the most honoured members of First Nations communities
CBC N.B. series The Elders comes to television Saturday, August 21
Indigenous Elders are respected people who play important roles; they are knowledge keepers, educators, language carriers and historians. This spring, CBC New Brunswick spoke with Elders from Mi'kmaq, Wolastoqey and Passamaquoddy communities, where they opened up about the type of work they do and the roles they each play within those communities.
Now, the series will be brought to television in a 30-minute special airing Saturday, August 21 at 7 p.m. AT/ 7:30 NT, offering viewers the chance to get to know some of the most honoured members of our First Nations communities.
All six of the Elders featured in this series have ties that bind them, but they each take a unique approach to their role. For example, some Elders you go to with questions about spirituality, says Wolastoqi Elder Imelda Perley, while some specialize in historical account storytelling, and others help heal minds, hearts or bodies.
George Paul
Mi'kmaw Elder George Paul of Metepenagiag specializes in picking herbal medicines. He has learned a lot about survival skills and traditional outdoor living. He is also well known as the composer of the Mi'kmaq Honour Song.
The song took off as Paul helped other communities get drum groups established, and it started to be used for grand entries and sung to honour individuals. Paul has shared the song with Wolastoqiyik and Cree communities and given permission for it to be translated into their languages.
"So it does have an impact. And I see it still working today. And I hope in the future it goes on and it'll live on as long as people are interested in it," says Paul.
READ MORE: Meet the Mi'kmaw elder whose song has become an anthem for his people
Cecelia Brooks
Cecelia Brooks is an elder of Wolastoqey, Mi'kmaq, Mohawk and Korean ancestry who calls St. Mary's First Nation home. She specializes in traditional plant knowledge.
She and her son designed their medicine walk business, Wabanaki Tree Spirit, for people who want to connect with and understand Indigenous people better.
On a typical walk, they'll start with the history and significance of Odell Park. It has hemlock trees that are 400 to 500 years old.
"This is what the forest would have looked like prior to European settlers getting here," says Brooks, who talks about any plants they come across and their traditional uses for food or medicine.
READ MORE: Cecelia Brooks uses elder teachings and science to reinvent traditional foods and medicines
Noel Milliea
Mi'kmaw Elder Noel Milliea of Elsipogtog has devoted about 40 years of his life to helping people heal from alcoholism, trauma and systemic racism.
Milliea sees healing as a journey that never ends. His own healing journey began in his 20s, when he became sober.
"I always felt that I was taking away from the community," he said. "And so part of my sense of recovery was to be able to give back."
And so, with the help of a wise mentor named Anthony Francis, Milliea helped get an addiction treatment centre in Elsipogtog. They incorporate Indigenous culture in the programs, Milliea says, so people could use it as a way to heal themselves.
READ MORE: Mi'kmaw Elder Noel Milliea helps his people see their culture as a source of healing
Imelda Perley
Wolastoqi Elder Imelda Perley grew up in Neqotkuk or Tobique First Nation. As an adult, Perley became interested in studying linguistics. She thought it could be a way to contribute to the community—to help preserve the Wolastoqey language and ways of life.
In the past 20 years, Perley has given Wolastoqey names to more than 200 children in communities up and down the river and across the border in Maine. Each of those names contains a cultural message that speaks to the relationship between the Wolastoqiyik and nature.
"Our connection to our environment is being frayed because we're using English more," she says.
READ MORE: Imelda Perley tries to save Wolastoqey language one spirit name at a time
Donna Augustine
Donna Augustine is a Mi'kmaw elder from Elsipogtog First Nation who is on a mission to reclaim and bury the remains of Indigenous people. She tangles with the likes of the Smithsonian Institution and Harvard University. And she's driven by a force that can wake her up in the middle of the night and send her packing on a flight to Norway or Tennessee.
Augustine believes the spirits of departed ancestors are "disturbed, totally" when their remains are desecrated by various means, ranging from accidental disturbance in construction projects to intentional scientific poking, prodding, scraping or boiling.
"You would not believe some of the things," says Augustine. "We are the most studied people on the face of this earth. I don't know what they're looking for. I think they're all looking for the ultimate find."
READ MORE: Bringing the remains of Wabanaki ancestors home to rest
Donald Soctomah
Donald Soctomah is a Peskotomuhkati, or Passamaquoddy, elder who combs everything from beaches to historical records to preserve and restore the stories and traditions of his people. It's work that he's very passionate about and has been nationally recognized for in the United States. And it makes him feel like he's carrying on a family tradition because his great-grandfather was his community's wampum keeper.
Soctomah was nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden to serve on a commission that oversees international parks, including the one on Campobello Island, one of the areas he frequents to search for petroglyphs, shell middens or sweetgrass.
Another big project he's working on is the restoration of some very early audio recordings of Peskotomuhkati songs.
"Sometimes I don't have any words for how happy I feel," says Soctomah, "especially when I see something go full circle, like these wax cylinders."
"I see those children singing the songs that were made in 1890 by probably their great-great-grandfather, grandmother. That's really rewarding and it's so powerful that we're able to do that."
READ MORE: Peskotomuhkati elder puts modern spin on wampum keeping