From Toronto to Pikangikum First Nation

In October 2025, Jamii embarked on its seventh visit to Pikangikum First Nation since the beginning of this relationship in 2018. Located in Northern Ontario, Pikangikum is a remote fly-in community of about 4,000 people. Rich in natural beauty, cultural heritage, and strong family bonds, Pikangikum also faces challenges related to infrastructure, access to basic needs, and youth well-being.

Each visit to Pikangikum is part of Jamii’s long-term commitment to building bridges through art - creating space for connection, cultural exchange, and shared creativity between communities.

This year’s project brought together three Toronto-based artists Isorine Marc, Jamii’s Alchemist and project lead, Aline Morales, musician and singer, and Ana Maria Higuera, photographer and videographer.

Together, they traveled from Toronto - through Thunder Bay and Sioux Lookout - to Pikangikum, where they spent 9 days at the Eeenchokay Birchstick School, working closely with students, teachers, and community members.

Part 1: Music Workshops and Community Performance

Under the guidance of musician Aline Morales, Grades 6, 7 and 8 students participated in daily drumming workshops. These sessions introduced them to Brazilian rhythms. Approximately 235 students participated in music initiation workshops - 11 of them all together! The week culminated in a community performance, where the students proudly shared their music with their families and peers.

It was such a successful engagement that the school has reinvited Jamii to continue this project in February 2026 and dive further in the learning, focusing intensively on 5 classrooms who will do daily sessions and a performance for the entire school!

Part 2: Video Portrait Series

In 2022, community members shared that recordings of Elders’ stories were tragically lost in a fire. Jamii’s video portraits series have become a way to rebuild that archive - capturing the voices, languages, and histories of Pikangikum Elders for current and future generations.

As such, alongside the music workshops, videographer Ana Maria Higuera and Jamii's Alchemist Isorine Marc continued Jamii’s ongoing Video Portrait Series. The portraits feature Elders, community leaders, and artists, allowing them to share their voices and experiences.

This year, the 5 new portraits are capturing beautiful stories: Lloyd Quill shares his experience of residential school and the teachings of the land. Michaela Peters-Turtle tells us about the joy she finds in life in Pikangikum and the support her school provides as she navigates health challenges as a high schooler. Eddie Quill, an Elder, speaks passionately about the importance of keeping the language alive for the younger generation. Valerie Strang, the first graduate in Pikangikum of the Personal Support Worker program, shares her experience working at the Elders’ Home. And McDonald Turtle, from the Pikangikum Education Authority, reflects on the community’s progress over the years and the ongoing need for more housing for the next generation.

A work-in-progress screening took place at the end of our visit, and final videos will be released online later in the year.

Since the project’s inception, these portraits have collectively reached over 20,000 views on Facebook - the community’s main communication platform - reflecting their deep local impact.

Impact and Reflections

For students in Pikangikum, the workshops offered opportunities to express themselves through rhythm, movement, and teamwork - building self-esteem and joy through creative collaboration.

For Toronto-based artists, the experience provided a transformative exchange - deepening their understanding of Indigenous realities and reinforcing the importance of respectful, long-term relationships between communities.

This project continues to demonstrate how art can bridge distances - geographically, culturally, and emotionally - and create shared spaces for storytelling, learning, and connection.

Acknowledgements

This project is made possible through the generous support of the Ontario Arts Council, the JP Bickell Foundation, and Jamii’s private donors.

Our deepest gratitude goes to the Eeenchokay Birchstick School and PIkangikum Education Authority for their partnership, hospitality, and trust, and to the Pikangikum community for welcoming us into their homes once again.

VIDEO PORTRAITS

Lloyd Quill

Lloyd speaks with the calm of someone shaped by the land. He remembers learning from wind, water, animals. A time when survival meant listening, watching, and passing knowledge through generations. He says the seven grandfather teachings still hold strength in the spirit, body, and mind.  

He carries memories of the residential school system. Strict rules. Silence. Coming home and feeling lost without the voice of elders to show what was safe or good. He wonders how easily harm takes root when guidance is taken away. Now he wants young people to return to the land. To revitalize culture. To learn at home, with parents and grandparents, because a teacher is someone who loves you enough to prepare you for life.

Click here to watch Lloyd’s video portrait about returning to the teachings and carrying them forward.

Eddie Quill

What begins as a child being told he is going for a plane ride becomes a story of separation, survival, and lifelong care for community. 

In this video portrait, Eddie Quill reflects on being taken from his family during the Sixties Scoop, growing up in Pikangikum, and spending decades teaching Northern Ojibway, also known as Oji-Cree, to younger generations. His words carry grief, strength, and a deep commitment to protecting language as a living part of culture.

Click here to watch Eddie’s video portrait about memory, language, and holding on to what should never have been taken.

Michaela Peters-Turtle

Michaela Peters-Turtle introduces herself with such honesty and ease. She shares little pieces of her world in Pikangikum: school, family, porridge, summer days at her auntie’s cabin, walleye on the land, and trips across the lake and beyond for appointments. 

There is something so moving in the way she speaks about the people and places that make her feel safe, cared for, and happy. Through her words and quiet presence, we get a glimpse of her strength, her humour, and the everyday rhythms of her life.

Click here to watch Michaela’s video portrait about family, home, and the places that bring her joy. 

Valerie Strang

Valerie Strang speaks about care with so much heart. From raising her daughter and encouraging her to follow her dreams, to working with elders in Pikangikum, her words carry both tenderness and determination. 

In this video portrait, she reflects on family, loss, learning, and the pride she feels in caring for others. You can feel her hope as she speaks about going further in her studies and building a future rooted in compassion and community.

Click here to watch Valerie’s video portrait about caring for elders, encouraging youth, and pursuing the dreams that keep calling you forward.

McDonald Turtle

Stay tuned! Coming soon.