Baamaapii, Manitoulin Island
By Kendra Slagter
There are few places where art, culture and landscape feel as deeply connected as they do on Manitoulin Island. Located in the waters of Lake Huron, it’s the largest freshwater island in the world and home to several distinct Anishinaabe First Nations communities. Here, Indigenous art and traditions are woven into everyday life.
As artists, my friend Millie and I were drawn to Manitoulin by its rich Indigenous art and history, eager to learn from the people who keep its traditions alive.
With a loose plan in mind, we folded down the back two rows of seats in our Mitsubishi Outlander SUV, packed it with camping gear, camera equipment and art supplies, and pointed north toward Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. Just two girls, an early-2000s playlist blasting through the Dynamic Sound Yamaha speakers, and a weekend of adventure awaiting us.
Crossing to Manitoulin Island
By early morning, we were in the ferry queue at Tobermory Harbour, coffees in hand as the MS Chi-Cheemaun prepared for its daily crossing. Grey skies lingered over Lake Huron, casting a quiet mood over the harbour as cars filled the lower deck and travellers gathered for the journey.
An hour and 45 minutes later, the clouds began to part as South Baymouth came into view. We rolled off the ferry, opened the windows, and were greeted by cool air scented with pine and lake water. Quiet roads, weathered barns and forests stretching in every direction seemed to invite us to ease off the gas pedal.
Before long, the conversation faded, the music was off and we were content to simply watch the island unfold beyond the windshield.
Ojibwe Cultural Foundation
To begin our journey, we wanted a deeper understanding of Manitoulin’s history, culture and people, so we headed to the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation in M’Chigeeng First Nation.
Since opening in 1978, the Foundation has served as a centre dedicated to preserving and sharing Anishinaabe culture. Inside, exhibits offer insight into the island’s history, cultural traditions and contemporary Indigenous creativity.
Since opening in 1978, the Foundation has served as a centre dedicated to preserving and sharing Anishinaabe culture. Inside, exhibits offer insight into the island’s history, cultural traditions and contemporary Indigenous creativity.
Beyond the exhibits, the open studio was alive with creativity. Natural light poured across tables where local artists worked on paintings, beadwork and other traditional crafts.
There, we met Darlene, who leads crafting workshops for visitors and community members. She welcomed us to see some of the pieces she had created—beautiful moccasins, suncatchers, leather clothing and a pair of winter gloves adorned with delicate floral beadwork. As someone who spends much of my year outdoors photographing and filming in freezing conditions, my attention went straight to the gloves.
There, we met Darlene, who leads crafting workshops for visitors and community members. She welcomed us to see some of the pieces she had created—beautiful moccasins, suncatchers, leather clothing and a pair of winter gloves adorned with delicate floral beadwork. As someone who spends much of my year outdoors photographing and filming in freezing conditions, my attention went straight to the gloves.
“I could make you a pair,” Darlene said as she observed me admiring the gloves.
The offer was so unexpectedly generous that I was momentarily speechless. We had only just met, yet she was willing to share not only her craftsmanship, but her kindness.
Darlene noted the size of my hands, took my contact information and began planning a pair of gloves she would later send me in the mail.
The offer was so unexpectedly generous that I was momentarily speechless. We had only just met, yet she was willing to share not only her craftsmanship, but her kindness.
Darlene noted the size of my hands, took my contact information and began planning a pair of gloves she would later send me in the mail.
Lillian's Crafts
Still smiling after our visit with Darlene, we climbed back into our Mitsubishi Outlander. Sunlight streamed through the panoramic sunroof and warmed the brick‑brown leather seats as we made the short drive to Lillian’s Crafts.
One of Manitoulin’s best-known destinations for Indigenous art, the shop is filled with traditional and contemporary work. Moccasins, beadwork, leatherwork, dreamcatchers and quill baskets filled the shelves and covered the walls of the shop, created by artists from across the island. Behind the shop, campsites overlook the shoreline, where we would spend the next two nights.
Inside, we met Lillian Debassige, who has welcomed visitors to this corner of Manitoulin for more than 60 years. What began as a small display of Indigenous crafts has grown into a remarkable collection, including what is believed to be the largest collection of quill boxes in Northern Ontario. Her pride was unmistakable as she shared the stories behind each piece, including the careful process of collecting, dyeing and weaving porcupine quills to create intricate baskets.
Surrounded by decades of craftsmanship, it was easy to see the impact Lillian has had on Manitoulin’s creative community. Through the pieces she has collected and the stories she shares, she has created a space where Indigenous artists can continue sharing their work with others.
Camping at Lillian's
With the sun beginning to dip, we drove our Outlander to the back of the property and up to our small grassy campsite overlooking the shoreline.
The campground was simple and peaceful. Tall pines stretched above us, bear tracks marked the sand along the beach, and the fading light washed the sky in shades of pink and orange. Upon setting up camp, we settled into our camp chairs and watched the last of the light move through the trees.
As darkness enveloped the campsite, stars slowly emerged overhead and we sank into a state of tired contentment.
Tomorrow, we would attend our first Pow Wow.
Tomorrow, we would attend our first Pow Wow.
Sheguiandah First Nation Pow Wow
The following morning was hot and humid, typical of a northern Ontario summer day. We packed up the Outlander and set out for the Sheguiandah First Nation Pow Wow, grateful for the ventilated front seats as we settled into the drive. We traveled across quiet highways, winding backroads and stretches of gravel, the Outlander’s Super All‑Wheel Control system giving us the confidence to follow wherever the day led.
By the time we arrived, the Pow Wow grounds were beginning to come alive. Vendors arranged displays of beadwork, leatherwork, paintings and jewellery, as the smell of fry bread and other food being prepared for the day drifted between tents.
Soon after, we were welcomed to find our place on the steel bleachers beneath a canopy of red fabric. The bleachers encircled the outdoor arena, with each section sheltered beneath one of the four colours of the medicine wheel. Across the circle, the remaining canopies of yellow, black and white shaded other guests.
At the centre stood a red arbour tipi, where groups of drummers and singers gathered. As they began the Grand Entry song, we rose to our feet. The steady beat of the drums and the power of their harmonized voices filled the air, welcoming the dancers into the circle and inviting the presence of their ancestors to share in the celebration.
One by one, dancers entered the arena, their regalia alive with vibrant fabrics, flowing tassels and intricate beadwork. Jingle Dress dancers moved with a steady, buoyant rhythm, the rows of metal cones on their dresses creating a gentle chime that became part of the music itself. Others spun gracefully, their shawls floating behind them as they turned. Elders moved with steady, grounded steps, while children dressed in feathers followed closely behind, watching carefully and learning the movements carried by those who came before them.
Within minutes, the arena filled with members of the Sheguiandah First Nation moving clockwise around the central arbour. The rhythm of the drums, the movement of the dancers and the presence of generations gathered together told a story of continuity.
This was not a historical reenactment or cultural demonstration. It was Anishinaabe tradition lived in the present, carried forward through generations of teachings, songs and dance.
Behind me, I overheard a quiet conversation between a mother and her young daughter watching the dancers.
“Maybe next year you’ll dance up there too,” she said. “Would you like that?”
The little girl didn’t hesitate.
“Yes!” she replied.
I smiled. In that brief exchange, everything I had been feeling suddenly had words. The traditions unfolding before us were alive, carried by one generation and embraced by the next.
There I stood, surrounded by sound, colour and spirit, realizing that my trip to Manitoulin Island was much deeper than I had anticipated.
This was not a historical reenactment or cultural demonstration. It was Anishinaabe tradition lived in the present, carried forward through generations of teachings, songs and dance.
Behind me, I overheard a quiet conversation between a mother and her young daughter watching the dancers.
“Maybe next year you’ll dance up there too,” she said. “Would you like that?”
The little girl didn’t hesitate.
“Yes!” she replied.
I smiled. In that brief exchange, everything I had been feeling suddenly had words. The traditions unfolding before us were alive, carried by one generation and embraced by the next.
There I stood, surrounded by sound, colour and spirit, realizing that my trip to Manitoulin Island was much deeper than I had anticipated.
A Taste of Tradition
After soaking in the cultural festivities at the Pow Wow, we were ready for our final adventure: a culinary tour with Wikwemikong Tourism.
We followed a maze of winding gravel roads deeper into the forest, weaving around potholes and loose stone. With a quick turn of the dial, we switched the Outlander into Gravel Mode and continued toward our destination with confidence.
We followed a maze of winding gravel roads deeper into the forest, weaving around potholes and loose stone. With a quick turn of the dial, we switched the Outlander into Gravel Mode and continued toward our destination with confidence.
Beneath a small pavilion, we met Chef Vince and his assistant, Liam, who had already begun preparing our meal. We pulled up stools at the bartop overlooking their cooking station as the scent of trout cooking over a cedar plank drifted through the warm air.
As we ate, Vince and Liam spoke about the relationship between food and the land, waters and natural resources that have sustained Anishinaabe communities for generations. Rooted in traditional beliefs, their cooking connected each ingredient to its source and the responsibility to care for the land. Food, we learned, was more than sustenance; it was a way of carrying knowledge and expressing gratitude to the land.
The ingredients themselves reflected that relationship. We ate trout caught from the waters surrounding Manitoulin Island and paired with locally harvested maple syrup and roasted spaghetti squash. For dessert, we enjoyed wild rice pudding topped with fresh berries. Each ingredient had been chosen with a connection to the land in mind, turning the meal into another way of understanding the place we had come to explore.
The ingredients themselves reflected that relationship. We ate trout caught from the waters surrounding Manitoulin Island and paired with locally harvested maple syrup and roasted spaghetti squash. For dessert, we enjoyed wild rice pudding topped with fresh berries. Each ingredient had been chosen with a connection to the land in mind, turning the meal into another way of understanding the place we had come to explore.
Until Next Time
As we finished our meal beneath the trees, I found myself reflecting on everything we had experienced on Manitoulin Island.
Everywhere we went, we saw the same truth: culture survives because people continue to practise it, share it and pass it forward. It lives through the hands of the people who create, the stories they carry and the teachings they continue to share.
Before we departed, Vince and Liam shared one final teaching with us: baamaapii.
Pronounced bah-mah-pee, the Anishinaabemowin word means “later,” “after a while” or “until next time.” Unlike the English word “goodbye,” which suggests a final departure, baamaapii reflects the belief that connections continue and that paths will cross again, either in this life or in the next.
It felt like the perfect word to leave Manitoulin Island with. Throughout our journey, every person we met shared a piece of themselves through their art, leaving us with lessons that will stay with us long after our journey home.
Baamaapii.
Everywhere we went, we saw the same truth: culture survives because people continue to practise it, share it and pass it forward. It lives through the hands of the people who create, the stories they carry and the teachings they continue to share.
Before we departed, Vince and Liam shared one final teaching with us: baamaapii.
Pronounced bah-mah-pee, the Anishinaabemowin word means “later,” “after a while” or “until next time.” Unlike the English word “goodbye,” which suggests a final departure, baamaapii reflects the belief that connections continue and that paths will cross again, either in this life or in the next.
It felt like the perfect word to leave Manitoulin Island with. Throughout our journey, every person we met shared a piece of themselves through their art, leaving us with lessons that will stay with us long after our journey home.
Baamaapii.
Planning Your Manitoulin Island Adventure
Getting There
From Toronto, it’s about a four-hour drive to Tobermory, where the MS Chi-Cheemaun ferry carries passengers and vehicles across Lake Huron to South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island in roughly 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Ferry schedules change seasonally, so check the current timetable and book your crossing in advance.
When to Go
Summer is the best time to experience the island, with warm weather, open campgrounds, hiking and paddling opportunities, and a full calendar of Pow Wows and cultural events. Late spring and early fall offer fewer crowds and cooler temperatures.
Where to Stay
- The Mutchmor: A perfect first stop after the ferry. Grab a coffee and snack, browse local art and handmade goods, then walk the beach boardwalk. The Mutchmor also offers character-filled loft accommodations with a strong connection to the island’s creative community.
- Lillian’s Crafts: Peaceful beachfront camping with clean facilities and a warm, welcoming family atmosphere.
- Manitoulin Hotel & Conference Centre: A 57-room hotel jointly owned by six First Nation communities and the Great Spirit Circle Trail. Indigenous-inspired design elements are found throughout the property, and the on-site North46 restaurant serves locally inspired dishes.
- Other Options: Manitoulin Island offers a range of campgrounds, hotels and cabins, including many owned and operated by Indigenous families and communities.
Things to Do
- Experience a Pow Wow: Several First Nations communities host annual Pow Wows throughout the summer. Dates vary each year, so check the current schedule when planning your trip.
- Join Indigenous-Led Experiences: For a deeper understanding of Manitoulin’s history, culture and relationship with the land, book a guided experience with Wikwemikong Tourism. Options include culinary tours, guided hikes, canoe trips and history walks.
- Hit the Trails: From the famous Cup and Saucer Trail to quieter forest paths, Manitoulin offers hikes for every level—whether you want a short wander or a climb to panoramic lookouts.
- Explore Indigenous Arts and Culture: Visit cultural centres, galleries and studios across the island. The Ojibwe Cultural Foundation, Debajehmujig Creation Centre and Mishibinijima Art Gallery offer rich introductions to Indigenous art and creative expression.
- Get on the Water: With Lake Huron and numerous inland lakes, Manitoulin is ideal for guided paddling, boating and other water-based adventures.
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