Mykelle Pacquing

My name is Mykelle Pacquing. I am a Filipino-Canadian born in raised in Waatoopikonk (Etobicoke), a part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, also known as a part of Turtle Island. My ancestors are Tagalog (People of the River) and Ilocano (People of the Bay) from the Philippines.

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My late father, Ruben, was educated in bush life by the Aeta of Mariveles, Bataan, Philippines. My father, in turn, passed on his teachings to his children, having raised us on Turtle Island. I took his teachings—the respect for land, water, and Creation—and continued my education with the Anishinaabek in the Great Lakes Region.

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At the University of Toronto, I became a student to the late Associate Professor Alex McKay, from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation, a remote community in Northwestern Ontario, and learned Anishinaabemowin language and culture. I then became his teaching and research assistant, learning the Anishinaabemowin teaching arts, until he moved on to the next stage of his life.

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Alex's family supports me in continuing to teach what I learned from him, so that all people have the opportunity to learn Anishinaabemowin language and culture.

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ᒦᑫᐧᐦᐨ  ᐁᐋᐧᐸᐣᑕᒪᐣ᙮

Miikwehc ewaapantaman.

Thank you for reading.