Kwey, Aanii, Boozhoo, Hello!

Piijaashin (welcome) to Waaseyaa Consulting, and Waaseyaa Cultural Tours.

Waaseyaa Consulting was a dream of mine for many years that came to light in 2016. I wanted to create a space for myself and the Algonquin/Indigenous community to do work that will have a lasting, positive impact on our current and future generations. This work is based in honouring our Ancestors, Elders and families whose resilience has brought us to this point in time.

Waaseyaa means “bright light”, in Anishinaabemowin. Anishinaabemowin is the language spoken by Anishinaabeg people, including the Algonquin.  Waaseyaa can also be translated to mean “it is bright”, and “is light” (as in day). It is the state or condition of being light.

While I was dreaming of starting this company, the soundtrack to my life greatly featured the album “For the Light” by Digging Roots, an Indigenous roots/rock/soul-folk/blues band led by ShoShona Kish and Raven Kanetakta. Their title track, a beautiful song that continues to give me so much comfort, was the inspiration for the name of this company.

At its core, Waaseyaa Consulting, and later Waaseyaa Cultural Tours, were created to enhance the understanding and awareness of Omàmìwininì (Algonquin) history and culture both within our traditional territory and beyond. It is my hope that Waaseyaa Consulting and Waaseyaa Cultural Tours will serve as a “bright light” for Algonquin and Indigenous peoples, as well as non-Indigenous peoples who are working to learn more about the deeper history of this land and its original people.

Chi-miigwetch, thank you so very much, for joining me in this virtual space.