Mark Sault presented with Heritage and Cultural Award for MCFN

Mark Sault presented with Heritage and Cultural Award for MCFN

Posted on November 7, 2023

Congratulations to the recipient of this year’s Heritage and Cultural Award for the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Wisdom Holder Mark Sault. He was presented with his award at the at the Heritage Mississauga Credit Awards Gala on November 2, 2023 in Mississauga.

Mark Sault realized he needed to incorporate culture into his life while he was in his mid-thirties.  To do this he had to moved away as there was little knowledge in his community at that time.  He left the community and resided in Thunder Bay for approximately 25 years.  During this time, he was very active with Wisdom Holders and gained the knowledge he was searching for about his culture, traditions and what it meant to be an Anishnaabe Nini.  He also received his name Migizi Gikinoo’ amaagew Inin, which means “Eagle Teacher Man”.  Mark returned to his community of MCFN in 2014 and immediately began sharing his knowledge with family and community.  Mark is passionate about the community regaining its culture and traditions.  He says, “All I want is for the people to know and understand who they are and where they come from.”  Mark has brought back so much that was missing from his community and it has created a snowball effect of the community wanting to learn more. Some of the knowledge he has shared and continues to share far and wide are the teachings of the drum, the process of producing maple syrup, Medicines for tea and there uses, Tree Identification and their uses and Fall Harvest. The fall harvest brings the community together to learn how to lye corn, smoke wild game, prepare the bigoji mnoomin maanda – wild rice. One of the greatest gifts Mark could have ever given his community is the gift of “Community Spirt”. Mark may not know this aspect of what he has done for his community, but the land is showing him how respected he is within his community. The community whole heartedly appreciates everything he has learned and brought back to his community and everything he continues to share. Chi Miigwech for sharing your knowledge.