Daagwagin Smoked Moose & Fish Pop-Up Event – Facilitated by AJ Esquega of Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek

On October 22nd 2024 Gaagige Zaagibigaa teamed up with partners Roots Community Food Centre and Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre. Together we hosted a Daagwagin community pop-up event of smoked fish and moose facilitated by AJ Esquega of Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek (Gull Bay First Nation) at Roots CFC in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Each team collaborated to provide a variety of traditional foods, beverages, and activities. GZ brought in AJ Esquega who prepared two different flavours of smoked moose as well as smoked white fish. Participants sampled the foods as he demonstrated a traditional smoking method over the fire on-site, a teaching taught to him by his granny. The tent smoker was built that morning by AJ and guests using tarps, wooden poles, and ropes to hold it all together in the shape of a tipi.

Sarah Gorrie of Wiikwemkoong is the Indigenous Food Facilitator at Roots CFC. She started the morning with goose plucking. Participants took part and later cooked a goose over the fire in the tipi. In the afternoon she made her special bannock with the KZ lodge students from Westgate high school. The bannock was paired beautifully with the GZ Jam, made with local strawberries by our council members during our gathering this past summer. Participants stayed warm by enjoying either of the traditional teas prepared by Sarah. The teas were locally gathered giizhik (cedar) and mashkiigobag (labrador). Folks had the option to enjoy it with local honey made by the bee keeper Mac at Roots. Also on the menu prepared by Roots was gete okosomin squash, a traditional squash that seed keepers have revived in recent years. Gete okosomin translates to “big old squash”. Participants had the opportunity to do some seed saving of the squash themselves on-site.

Sheena Campbell, the Wiisinadaa Let’s Eat Nutrition Support Worker at the Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre, had set up a manoomin station with three different recipes for folks to take home. The manoomin was harvested in Shoal Lake First Nation. Participants had the freedom to create their own bowl of manoomin and mix it with toppings of their choice – wild blueberries, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, cinnamon, maple syrup, or mixed berries! Hide tanners Jean Marshall of Fort William First Nation and Mary Magiskan of Aroland First Nation brought along a moose hide that participants were able to take part in the fleshing and de-hairing portions of the process, providing a physical opportunity on another end of the food self determination spectrum.

All of the food and tea prepared was enjoyed by everyone who came out. Elders shared how the food brought on pleasant memories from their childhoods, while students experienced traditional foods that were new to them. Folks of all ages and abilities gathered to share stories while partaking in the day’s events, from newborns to elders, many smiles and laughs were shared.

GZ is grateful to have been able to host and collaborate with Roots, TBIFC, and local community members AJ, Jean, and Mary, to create such a successful event. Stay tuned for our next seasonal gathering in Biboon (winter)!