WINONA OMINIKA

two-spirit

anishinaabe kwe

storyteller

land-based practitioner

outdoorswoman

Misko Biinishii Kwe is their given name that was gifted to them in a ceremony within their territory, Manitoulin Island. Their name today is not initially english which originally was from Winúŋna'' meaning “firstborn daughter” or “eldest daughter” in the Sioux Dakota language. Though Winona was given her name at birth, she has a deep connection to their name and carries it proudly as they are the oldest out of 4 siblings and to their first cousins on their mothers side, feeling proud, caring and someone they can look up too, living a mino-bimaadiziwin (living a good life).

Winona is Anishinaabe (Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Odawa) from the Wiikwemikoong Unceded Territory in Central Ontario. She is a visual storyteller passionate about amplifying the voices of Indigenous youth, LGBTQ and newcomers to Canada. Often times these communities face barriers to accessing outdoor recreation, and Winona’s goal is to open up more opportunities for these communities to experience nature, recreation and traditional culture. Winona holds a diploma in Outdoor and Adventure Education and is a graduate of Fleming College and the Royal Ontario Museum’s Environmental Visual Communication Program.

Winona has been involved in working with her community for many years, working with the community’s Youth Center, and Tourism organization. She loves to be Outdoors and has done multiple annual 10 day canoe trips with the OALE (Outdoor Adventure Leadership Experience) as a participant, to a leader trainee and now lead guide. Winona has also been fortunate enough to partake in a winter boot camp and a 10 day winter expedition with a company called Lure of the North where she has learned how to live in comfort in Winter conditions.

Winona is now a new business owner as the Founder and Executive Director of RedBird Adventures and Redbird Visuals and will continue to inspire, create, and thrive for the best outcome for all beings. Winona’s plan is to continue to expand and grow as the seasons come that will open more outdoor adventures for all beings across turtle island, all while using indigenous knowledge, practices and values.

Winonas thrives to do her very best to bring awareness and support to 2 Spirit/LGBTQ++ beings within their community and has proposed to Chief and Council for a pride flag for the communities service area to show community awareness, involvement and support. Motion was approved, and plans to come for a Pride Flag raising in the new year (2022). Winona is also heavily involved with the Health and Social Wellness Committee, has also been on Wiiwemikoong’s Youth Council in 2018 and now a year long experience with Danielle Da Silva in her mentorship program.

My photos display an interconnection with my Indigenous culture. The medicine wheel has many concepts and teachings; a big part of the wheel expresses the interconnectedness to our Mental, Physical, Emotional, and mental wellbeing and includes the elements. I am showcasing photos of mother earth's elements; Earth, Air, Water, and Fire.

Showcasing these elements has a significant impact on our own medicine wheel. The effect I hope to show is the connection between our human experience. When I look at these elements, I connect them to my emotional, physical, mental, and spirit in my personal medicine wheel.

Earth and Body (Physical)
Earth is to ground. Using our physical being to set ourselves on our feet, to be present in our being. A great way to ground ourselves is being in nature. I remind myself of the magic, wonder, curiosity, and appreciation of the world. Sharing moments with close friends and family that connect me to my physical self. This could include being present with family and family in social gatherings, going to our family camp, looking up at the stars on a clear night, looking up at the beauty of a maple bush on an autumn day with a friend.

Air and Mind (Mental)
Air is to represent our mind or mental being. It reminds us to take care of our mental aspect through wellness, clarity, respect, and kindness. We can talk about our feelings. Talking about our feelings can help us stay in good mental health and deal with times when we feel troubled. We are often clouded by our negative thoughts, worried by what we think others might think of, words that darken our judgments about ourselves, the inner work in which we should give the love and care to us.

Water and Spirit (Spirituality)
Water is spirit. In learning about my culture, water is a giver to all life, the interconnectedness with all life here on mother earth, including ourselves. When we choose to come into the human world, we are carried in water in our mother's womb; women are seen as caretakers of water. We must care, protect and respect the water spirit and our women. Water is the home of many living things that contribute to the health and wellbeing of everything not in the water.
Upon returning to my home town Wiikwemikoong, I look at the vast connection I have with my home, the land I have been on, the crisp air I can connect and breathe, and the water surrounding me. This Island holds a special place in my heart that I don't feel I will ever let go of.
The powerful being of water is spiritual in itself; being around such powerful water can be healing, cleansing, and whole.

Fire and Heart (Emotional)
The Fire is in us. As Human spirit beings, living with emotional spirit in our human life experience. We all carry the yearn for love, connection, compassion to ourselves. We are continually growing from new experiences.
Fire is your own only, how and what you do to help yourself in times of struggle, suffering, and illness. Your Fire will feed your life, take action, help you decide, steer away from danger, help make important decisions in your life; it helps to understand yourself and others.
Our Fire keeps us going in our lives. It is built from our past experiences to move forward from these experiences and learn to surrender and accept. In our lives, time only comes back to fruition again and again, after reflection, meditation, awareness, acceptance, and surrender.
When I look at this picture of my new friend, Paula. I hope it inspires people to look within their own Fire within themselves.
How will you feed your Fire?
Like seasons, we have spring which brings us to a time of our lives that brings new beginnings; life and earth beings are growing, buds popping out to bloom to shine and bloom their fullest growth potential. Summer is a time when everything is in bloom, everything is fresh, a time for joy, preparation, and harvest for fall and winter months ahead. In autumn, you see leaves falling. It's a time to release and let go of the many things we have held on to that no longer serve us.
Winter months are long and sometimes dreary; when we have good mindfulness in our space for the long winter days ahead, we can give time for ourselves to relax, heal, connect to our inner being for the upcoming year. In the early days before colonization, Indigenous people would be in wigwams and or another form of home, filling time with stories of their ancestors, nana bush stories, daily teachings, and learning their way of life through family and children connection. With longer days, let's wish for a time to gather with the people closest to your hearts, take a break, tell stories, and feast on what's most important to us.
All in all, Feed your body, mind, spirit, and heart.
And always say Miigwetch.

“Reclaim Power has had a big impact on my life.

It has opened up a community of supportive, like- minded people to share my dreams and goals with, and to help guide each other to our higher self and being—whether that be mental, or emotional, physical.

Being part of Reclaim Power has given me the confidence, love, support and encouragement to voice my higher self in such a powerful way.”

— Winona