People from Neskantaga First Nation reconnect at powwow amid evacuation

Evacuees from Neskantaga First Nation gathered at a powwow in Thunder Bay, Ont., Sunday to unite as the community grapples with the flooding and the the closure of its only nursing station. 

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

He said living in a hotel hundreds of kilometres from home has been a difficult experience for many evacuees, especially for children and elders from the First Nation.

"We're doing as much as we can to have activities and field trips and game nights, trying to make things easier for everyone. Especially with youth and children. They get restless," he said.

The powwow was a welcome distraction for homesick evacuees, said Moonias. The drumming, singing and dancing gave people an opportunity to connect with others, and their culture. 

"Watching children dance and sing, you know, It warms my heart," he said. 

Dancer Wabanaang Mandamin from Shoal Lake 39 First Nation said the powwow gave people an opportunity to support each other while Neskantaga faces ongoing challenges. 

"I dance for my family, I dance for my people, I dance for my community," said Mandamin, "And it's just good to get together to connect and have some fun."

Nursing station not yet fixed

The nursing station is the only health care service available in the remote community of less than 400 people. Last week, Neskantaga officials said repairs to the nursing station will take ten to 14 days to complete.

Based on the pictures he's seen, Moonias said he thinks the repairs are far from finished.

"It's still pretty much flooded even around the clinic and the nursing station. And it's kind of stressful," he said.

Neskantaga was previously evacuated in 2019 and 2020 after challenges with its water treatment plant. The Anishinaabe community has been under a 30-year-long boil-water advisory– the longest of any First Nation in Canada. 

While 14-year-old Bedahbun Moonias  misses her home in Neskantaga First Nation, she said seeing many of the community members gathered for the powwow was a nice distraction.

"I think it's really good to get people together, especially during a time like this, because when your community is going through a crisis, you need your people."

She spoke with CBC News five years ago while she and nearly 300 other Neskantaga members were evacuated to Thunder Bay during a separate crisis. 

Reflecting on the previous evacuation, Moonias said she still feels like the community and its needs are often forgotten. 

"We deserve to have rights to the right healthcare," she said.

Moonias has been living in Thunder Bay with family since September 2023 because her grandmother needed to be closer to the city's health care resources. 

"I live with my grandparents and I can see on their faces that they miss home and if we get a better nursing station with the right healthcare that our whole community needs, that would be really great," she said.