Street given honorary Michif name

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This article was published 16/03/2021 (1900 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The stretch of Colony Street between St. Mary Avenue and Portage Avenue will now be known as Paashchipew Way.

The honorary street renaming is in celebration of Qaumajuq at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, which opens later this month.

“The opening of Qaumajuq is an incredible milestone for our community,” said Mayor Brian Bowman in a media release. “Qaumajuq will house the world’s largest public collection of modern and contemporary Inuit Art and will act as a bridge with the North. I am pleased to designate this honorary street name after the name chosen by respected Métis Elder and Michif language keeper Verna DeMontigny.”

The name Colony Street was a constant reminder of colonization, and its impact on the land and Métis and First Nations people, DeMontigny said in a media release.

“In the Michif language, ‘paashchipew’ names natural flowing waters, like a creek or stream,” she said. “I choose this word as a recognition and a reminder of our ancestors’ continual presence, their knowledge and wisdom overflowing in many directions, moving beneath the surface, guiding us now and future generations to come.”

The honorary street renaming complements a larger naming initiative at the WAG, led by the WAG Indigenous Advisory Circle.

In August 2020, a group of Indigenous language keepers and elders gathered virtually to name the Inuit art centre’s buildings and spaces, as well as those of the WAG. The members of the group represent all four regions of Inuit Nunangat, the homeland of Inuit in Canada, as well as those from Indigenous nations in Manitoba. Inuktitut, Anishnaabemowin (Ojibway), Nêhiyawêwin (Cree), Dakota and Michif (Métis) will now have a more visible presence throughout the buildings.

Qaumajuq, pronounced KOW-ma-yourk, is Inuktitut for “it is bright, it is lit.” The WAG, meanwhile, was given an Anishnaabemowin name: Biindigin Biwaasaeyah, or “come on in, the dawn of light is here.”

“The WAG commends Mayor Bowman and the City of Winnipeg for promoting Indigenous language by giving an honorary name to Colony Street where it meets the WAG and Qaumajuq, the Inuit art centre,” said Stephen Borys, director and CEO of the Winnipeg Art Gallery. “It is very meaningful to be celebrating the Michif name — Paashchipew — symbolizing cultural continuity, knowledge transmission and relationship-building, in the days leading up to the opening of Qaumajuq, which will be a hub for these pursuits.”

The honorary name Paashchipew Way will be in place for five years.

— Staff