'I want to give more': Ceremony honours Elder Dr. Dave Courchene
CTV
A special ceremony celebrating Elder Dr. Dave Courchene's community leadership and lasting impact took place on Saturday.
A special ceremony celebrating Elder Dr. Dave Courchene's community leadership and lasting impact took place on Saturday.
Elders, chiefs, grandmothers and many more gathered in the Turtle Lodge International Centre for Indigenous Education and Wellness to honour Courchene.
Derrick Henderson, Chief of Sagkeeng First Nation, said he's known Courchene for a long time.
"He used to be my boss in education. He's the one that encourages our people, our young people, to get an education," said Henderson. "This is what I did, and this is what a lot of our people did in our community."
Courchene had a brief stint in politics before shifting his focus to a spiritual journey, where he devoted himself full time to learning from other Indigenous elders.
Later in life while fasting, Courchene received a vision that would become the Turtle Lodge where Saturday's ceremony took place.
Elder Dr. Harry Bone spoke about the significance of the space during the ceremony.
