To some, it's just be a rock. To others, it is a geological formation worthy of display, and to Indigenous communities along Lake Huron it is a piece of their culture which has been removed from their home. But what is it? And why is it sitting in a rock garden on Western University's campus?
I'm talking about a large, sphere shaped rock formation called a "kettle" which rests in the Jancey Garden, a small garden between the Biological & Geological Science and the Western Science Centre buildings. If you walked by it as it is displayed today, without little scientific or cultural context, you probably would brush it off as just another boulder. However, the story behind the Kettle in the Garden entails centuries of conflict between colonizers and Indigenous peoples; a fight for sovereignty over cultural and material resources.
Above: The kettle sitting in the Jancey Garden on Western's campus
The kettle was donated to the university by a Mr. Bill Morningstar but it originates from the territory of the Chippewas of Kettle and Stoney Point First Nation. They are characterized as a rare geological formation that can only be found in Kettle Point, Ontario. According to the Chippewas of Kettle and Stoney Point First Nation website, the kettles are of "cultural and spiritual significance to the Anishinaabe" - the Nishnaabeg peoples have many stories and oral histories which teach that these kettles are in fact Thunderbird eggs which have been there since time immemorial. Traditionally, Kettle Point was said to be the nesting ground of the Thunderbirds, which is why the kettle formations are abundant in this area, ranging from minuscule to massive in size.
Right: "Thunderbird" by Ojibwe artist Jim Oskineegish
To the Anishinaabe people of this area, the Thunderbird is a powerful being which brings "healing rains to the land and people". In Anishinaabemowin, the Thunderbird's are known as Animikii Binesiwag, whose loud thunder signifies the presence of spirit beings who bring Medicine in the form of lightening arrows. Binesiwag are teachers and protectors of the 4 cardinal winds and their directions (North, East, South, and West). They migrate with the birds - always absent in the Autumn and Winter until they return to bring the warmth of Spring and Summer (Zhaawan Art, 2019).
Left: this is a drum I made at a workshop last summer! I painted it with the Anishinaabe medicine wheel which carries many important meanings and teachings (one of them being the 4 directions) - as a settler it isn't my place to share them here though. I also painted on a turkey and eagle feather, and decorated the underside with ribbons in the 4 colours!
Check out the Georgian Bay Islands National Park Facebook page to find posts about the medicine wheel and it's mashkiki or medicines, written by my beautiful friend Erika!
For geologists, the kettles are a type of sedimentary rock concretion, which means a collection of specimens which grow together and are made from sediments like sand and mud. These kettles were formed approx. 370 million years ago from calcite and shale. Not only are these oddly-perfect spherical formations valuable for geologists and collectors, they also signify a potential for oil-shale deposits which could spell further environmental degradation on Indigenous lands over resource extraction (UWaterloo). Kettles can also be found on display at the University of Waterloo campus, and I'm sure there are plenty more at other Canadian universities.
Sure, the kettles are a naturally occurring phenomena that everyone wants to get their hands on. But, with Western's renewed commitment to reparations and reconciliation between settlers and Indigenous peoples, the ownership of the rock in the Jancey Garden brings to light many questions of who has the rights to where it belongs. Does science have the most legitimate claim to it because of it's geological significance? Or do these Thunderbird eggs belong to the people who have protected them for generations as part of traditional stewardship and cultural sovereignty? If you ask me, it's the latter. Now ask me what the solution to this problem of stolen rocks is, go on...
Let's Repatriate It!
The colonial past of these Kettles helps us to better understand why the Jancey Garden kettle should be repatriated or returned to the Chippewas of Kettle and Stoney Point. In an article for the Anishinaabek Nation, Laurie Leclair describes the colonial history of Kettle Point. Leclair explains that on October 5, 1826 (nearly 194 years ago to the day!) a surveyor named Mahlon Burwell paddled to Kettle Point, where he discovered a "beautiful and curious" sight along it's west shores which he described as "globes of stone". Two decades pass and another explorer, Alexander Murray, made his way to Kettle Point as part of the Geological Survey of Canada by following Burwell's route. By the turn of the 20th century, the kettle formations were renowned around the world as a unique phenomena. Many people travelled to Kettle Point and stole whichever small stones they could comfortably carry with them. Others had heard of a "legend" which promised treasures of gold spheres on the inside of the kettles, prompting many to smash the stones open, defacing them and leaving the ruins along the shore.
Below: Kettles emerging from Lake Huron in Kettle Point, ON
I wanted to quote Leclair here as she directly cites from her conversation with Kettle Point Elder and knowledge keeper Carole Pelletier:
"This was the nesting place for the Thunderbird, a sacred place that had to be cared for, and the Kettle and Stony Point Anishinabeg entrusted with its safekeeping. In return, the Thunderbird offered the community protection. Mrs. Pelletier maintains that the beach and the shale and the chert combined to be powerful sources of energy that can still be felt to this day, simply by visiting the site and touching some of the rocks. But everything has to be left there for the Thunderbird. Once the shale and the chert are disrupted, and the stones are removed from their beds, their energy starts to dissipate".
The immeasurable value of the kettles to the Chippewas of Kettle and Stoney Point has been blatantly disrespected for nearly 200 years, with precious cultural resources that carry vital teachings for future generations stolen and destroyed in the name of science. I don't know if Western is aware of the stories of the Thunderbirds and their eggs, and I do not know the exact story of how Morningstar ended up with the kettle he donated to the University. What I do know is that it does not belong there. It belongs with it's ancestral lands and waters of Lake Huron, in the protection of those who Creator has entrusted.
As Western and other Canadian universities undertake the cries of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada while seeking to strengthen relations with Indigenous communities, the repatriation of the Kettle Point formations would be an amazing start that directly benefits both sides. After all, I don't think Western really needs a rock they let sit out in a garden at all times when it could be in it's original home.
If you agree with me and want to see the Morningstar Kettle returned to the Chippewa Peoples of Kettle Point, please send me an email or comment/share this post! The more support we gain, the sooner we can make this a reality!
Thanks for reading!
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