KITCHENUHMAYKOOSIB INNINUWUG – Tragedy has visited upon Chief Donny Morris’s people often in recent weeks, creating what he terms “overwhelming grief.”
A one-day fast will be held in KI on Thursday “to collectively honour and reflect on the recent passing of our band members,” a Jan. 25 community memo from KI’s chief and council declared.
The idea sprang from “us as council talking amongst ourselves going through all what we went through, the ups and downs and the losses and the financial crunch with charters, hotels and caskets – everything,” Morris told Newswatch on Tuesday.
He described the fast as “faith based, I guess – just asking God to give us a hand, help us out.”
The memo described the fast as a chance “to come together, share in our collective mourning and find solace in a day of reflection.”
Elders and other KI community members are welcome to join in, and the invitation goes out to surrounding communities as well, Morris said.
“If they’re interested in pursuing a fast, they’re more than welcome.”
The chief can be contacted for more information at the KI band office at (807) 537-2263.
The fly-in community was rocked by the death of two people on New Year’s Day in an apparent homicide event, and the deaths of five others in December – seven deaths between Dec. 1 and Jan. 1 in a community of a little more than 1,000 people.
“While some of these deaths were expected, many were not,” Morris said in a statement released by the Independent First Nations Alliance, of which KI is a member.
“Our community as a whole is shaken by this tremendous loss and our ability to provide services over the holidays has been greatly impacted.”
