Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act (Bill 31) To Be Presented For Third Reading

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The Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act will be presented for a third reading on March 25, 2025, announced by Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith on Friday.

The second reading passed unanimously at Queen’s Park in early March last year. pHOTO courtesy of Dave Smith.

In the First and Second World Wars, roughly 7,000 First Nations individuals volunteered to serve. As a result, many who served were stripped of their rights for a time away from the reserve. Indigenous veterans able to retain their status were often ineligible for benefits available to non-Indigenous veterans following the wars.

If passed, the bill will create an award for Cadet Corps and Squadrons at the Annual Ceremonial Reviews. They will select a member who has displayed exceptional volunteerism and citizenship over the previous year for a new award from the province of Ontario, the Murray Whetung Community Service Award.

“Murray Whetung was a pillar in our community. He volunteered fight in the Second World War and dedicated his life to family and service. I was honoured to receive his endorsement for this legislation before his passing,” said Smith. “This bill does more than recognize the life of one man; it seeks to teach others of the injustices First Nations veterans faced for risking their lives in service to Canada.”

“My Shomis (grandfather) was humbled when MPP Smith approached him about the idea of an award named after him. My Shomis did what he thought needed to be done and didn’t expect special recognition,” Emily Whetung, Curve Lake First Nation former Chief. “He was a shining example of choosing happiness in the face of adversity and an inspiration to so many of us.”

The third reading will follow the Opposition Day Motion and will be live on the Legislative Assembly video feed.

“I’ve long stood proud on November 11 because of the commitment and sacrifice he has made and as our second Remembrance Day without him approaches I can’t think of a better way to celebrate his memory,” said Whethung. “Chi-miigwetch for learning our history and ensuring it is remembered by cadets across Ontario.”

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Trent University’s Newest College to be Named Gidigaa Migizi to Honour Professor Doug Williams

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To honour and celebrate the memory of the late Gidigaa Migizi (Doug Williams), Trent University is naming its sixth college will be named Gidigaa Migizi College.

Photo courtesy of Trent University.

The Gidigaa Migizi College is being built on the east bank of the Symons Campus in Peterborough. The building will include as many as 700 new beds for first-year students and classrooms, faculty offices and student spaces. The University expects it to open in the fall of 2028. The new college crest, scarf and colours will be unveiled next year.

“This naming is a testament to Trent’s ongoing commitment to recognizing and celebrating Indigenous culture and heritage,” said Marilyn Burns, vice president of Trent communications and enrolment. “Gidigaa Migizi, a respected elder and a pillar in the Michi Saagiig Anishnaabeg and Trent communities, has left a lasting legacy that will continue to inspire and educate our students for generations to come. Gidigaa Migizi College will stand as a beacon of knowledge, diversity, and respect, embodying the spirit of inclusivity and learning that is at the heart of Trent University.”

The professor, elder, and community leader was known for his dedication to Trent students and for protecting Anishnaabeg's treaty rights.

The decision to select an Anishnaabe name for the new college was a recommendation of the University’s Champlain Report to honour the treaty and traditional territory on which Trent University sits, according to a press release. Meaning ‘spotted eagle’ in English, the name Gidigaa Migizi College was recommended by the University’s Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers Council and approved by Trent’s Board of Governors.

“Gidigaa Migizi was a giant both at Trent and in the Anishnaabeg nation. He was a champion of knowledge, of learning, of students and of our community,” said Anne Taylor, Curve Lake First Nation Elders Council member. “In our culture, eagles are held in high esteem and symbolize honour, respect, strength, courage, and wisdom. These are all characteristics we want Trent students to embody.”

Migizi was one of the first graduates of Trent University’s Native Studies (now Indigenous Studies) program. After graduating, he remained involved with Trent, helping shape academic programs, administrative policies, and cultural practices and advancing education about Indigenous peoples.

He was co-director of the Indigenous Studies Ph.D. program and a professor at the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies. Migizi served on the University’s Indigenous Education Committee and the Elders Council. Before joining Trent as a student and then as a faculty member, Gidigaa Migizi was a bricklayer who helped build Champlain College at the University.

Migizi was an active negotiator for the legal recognition of treaty rights. His greatest accomplishment in this arena was the advocacy work he undertook in the precedent-setting case R v. Taylor and Williams, working through the court system to bring legal recognition of pre-confederation treaty rights through the interpretation of Treaty 20, 1818. As a result of this landmark case, he defended the right to hunt and fish for signatories to the Williams Treaties as stated by Trent.

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Fleming College Organizing Week-Long Events To Recognize National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

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In recognition of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Fleming College has organized a week’s worth of events and activities to honour the day on their campuses beginning on Monday.

A children’s shoe collection will be on display at Sutherland, Frost and Haliburton Campuses from Monday through Friday, recognizing, remembering, and honouring Indigenous Children who were lost to Residential Schools.

Nish Tees, a local Indigenous business, will be selling orange shirts throughout the week at scheduled times. All proceeds will be donated to the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

A full schedule of events can be found below:

Sutherland Campus:
Orange shirts will be on sale from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. Shirts are $20 each for students, $25 for the rest of the Fleming community.

Monday, Sept. 25:
Welcome and Drum Opening: Main Foyer, 10 – 11 a.m.
Orange Shirt Beading: Main Foyer, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 26:
Reading of “Phyllis’s Orange Shirt”: Main Foyer, 10 – 11 a.m.
Screening of “The Secret Path”: Whetung Theatre, B3 100, 1 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 27:
Orange Rock Painting: Steele Centre Patio, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 28:
Reading of “Phyllis’s Orange Shirt”: Main Foyer, 1 – 2 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 29:
Rock Painting and Orange Shirt Beading: Main Foyer, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Frost Campus

Thursday, Sept. 28 and Friday, Sept. 29:
Reading of “Phyllis’s Orange Shirt”: ISS Lounge 180A, 12 – 12:30 p.m.
Orange Rock Painting: ISS Lounge 180A, 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Haliburton Campus
Wednesday, Sept. 27:
Orange Shirt Sales and Orange Rock Painting: The Great Hall, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

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Curve Lake First Nation Athletes Bring Back Five Medals From North American Indigenous Games In Halifax

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Curve Lake First Nation representing Team Ontario is bringing back five medals including one gold, two silver and two bronze from Halifax in the 2023 North American Indigenous Games in softball and soccer.

(From Left to Right) Top Row: McKenzie Taylor, Softball; Danika Jacobs, Soccer; Abagail Jacobs, soccer; Grady Taylor, Softball and Quinn Jacobs, Softball. Bottom Row (softball): Jeffery Jacobs, Quinn Jacobs, Carter Jacobs, Tristin Williams, Ryker Jacobs, Louis Jacobs, Josh Knott and Grady Taylor. Photo courtesy of Curve Lake First Nation.

McKenzie Taylor was the lone gold medalist for U16 Female Softball. Team Ontario split the finals with Team Manitoba for gold due to weather cancellations for the playoffs.

The following are Team Ontario’s results for U16 Female Softball:

  • Game 1, July 17: 9-0 win vs. Alberta

  • Game 2, July 17: 9-4 win vs. Nova Scotia

  • Game 3, July 18: 7-3 loss vs. Manitoba

  • Game 4, July 19: 8-1 win vs. British Columbia

  • Game 5, July 20: 12-3 win vs. Saskatchewan

  • Game 6: July 20: 15-2 win vs. Wisconsin

  • Gold Medal Game: vs. Manitoba (cancelled)

Danika and Abagail Jacobs were able to take home silver for Team Ontario in U19 Female Soccer. Ontario went undefeated with a 3-0-1 record in their preliminary pools (Pool B) but fell short in the finals to Team Alberta, 5-1.

The following are Team Ontario’s results for U19 Female Soccer:

  • Game 1, July 17: 9-0 win vs. Nova Scotia

  • Game 2, July 18: 6-2 win vs. Wisconsin

  • Game 3, July 19: 0-0 draw vs. Saskatchewan

  • Game 4, July 20: 2-0 win vs. Saskatchewan

  • Finals, July 22: 5-1 loss vs. Alberta

Grady Taylor and Quinn Jacobs were the lone boys who brought back medals for Curve Lake, earning bronze in U16 Male Softball representing Team Ontario. They had a 2-2 record in the preliminaries that qualified them for the bronze medal match that they won 12-5 vs. British Columbia.

The following are Team Ontario’s results for U16 Male Softball:

  • Game 1, July 17: 13-3 loss vs. Saskatchewan

  • Game 2, July 18: 11-4 win vs. Nova Scotia

  • Game 3, July 18: 5-4 win vs. British Columbia

  • Game 4, July 19: 14-7 loss vs. Manitoba

  • Silver Medal Game, July 12: 12-5 win vs. British Columbia

The U19 Male softball team had finished in fifth place and had nine Curve Lake First Nation members (one coach and eight players).

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Curve Lake First Nation Sends 10 Athletes to North American Indigenous Games In Halifax

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Curve Lake is sending ten young athletes to represent Team Ontario in the 2023 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Halifax, N.S. in five days of competition beginning Monday.

Photo courtesy of NAIG 2023.

Representing Curve Lake for Team Ontario are Louis Jacobs, Carter Jacobs, Rivor Taylor, Tristin Williams and Josh Knott who are all teammates for U19 Male Softball. Abagail Jacobs and Danika Jacobs are entered for U19 Female Soccer. McKenzie Taylor is the lone athlete for U16 Female Softball while Quinn Jacons and Grady Taylor are in U16 Male Softball.

The event started on Saturday and runs until July 24 with opening ceremonies that began on Sunday. There are 756 Indigenous Nations with over 5,000 athletes competing in 15 different events in this year’s games according to the official NAIG website.

The following is the schedule for Team Ontario with Curve Lake athletes:

U19 Male Softball

  • Monday, vs. Manitoba at 10:15 a.m.

  • Tuesday, vs. Nova Scotia at 8 a.m.

  • Tuesday, vs. Alberta at noon

  • Wednesday vs. Eastern Door and the North at 8:15 a.m.

  • Thursday vs. British Columbia at 1 p.m.

  • Thursday vs. Saskatchewan at 5 p.m.

U19 Female Soccer

  • Monday, vs. Nova Scotia at 8 a.m.

  • Tuesday, vs. Wisconsin at 8 a.m.

  • Wednesday vs. Saskatchewan at 8 a.m.

U16 Male Softball

  • Monday, vs. Saskatchewan at 4:15 p.m.

  • Tuesday, vs. Nova Scotia at 10:15 a.m.

  • Wednesday vs. Manitoba at 10:15 a.m.

  • Wednesday vs. British Columbia at 5 p.m.

U16 Female Softball

  • Monday, vs. Alberta at 7:30 a.m.

  • Monday, vs Nova Scotia at 3:30 p.m.

  • Tuesday, vs. Manitoba at 11:30 a.m.

  • Wednesday, vs. British Columbia at 9:30 a.m.

  • Thursday, vs. Saskatchewan at 8:15 a.m.

  • Thursday, vs. Wisconsin at 12:30 p.m.

All games can be streamed via Youtube on NAIG’s official channel.

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National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebrated Throughout the Peterborough Community

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To mark National Indigenous Peoples Day on Wednesday, several activities are being held throughout the community, announced by The City of Peterborough.

File Photo.

“National Indigenous Peoples Day is cause for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “It’s also an opportunity to reflect on the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation commission and to renew our commitment to fulfill them."

The following are events from City of Peterborough facilities: 

Peterborough Public Library 

National Indigenous Peoples Day: 

Other upcoming events marking National Indigenous History Month: 

Peterborough Museum and Archives

  • Quilling workshops will take place from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. This registered program is full, but visitors are encouraged to drop in to see the work being completed.  

  • Art responses activities for all ages. 

The exhibition will continue at the Museum until mid-November. 

The Nogojiwanong Project 

The City’s Public Art Program invites you to visit the Nogojiwanong Project. Located at the south end of Millennium Park, this project was a collaboration undertaken in the spirit of kinship between local First Nations, Indigenous peoples, and the City of Peterborough in recognition of the 200th anniversary of Rice Lake Treaty No. 20. Through the collaboration, this gathering space was created to encourage learning and reflection with a series of interpretive panels highlighting the evolution of local treaties and inherent rights of Indigenous peoples. The “Gathering” provides the focal point for the space. 

Michael Belmore’s, entitled “Gathering,” complements the panels and anchors the space. It consists of a grouping of glacial erratic boulders, carved, lined with copper, and fitted so that they sit slightly apart and seemingly radiate heat. The stones are embellished with the Treaty 20 Clan Totems or Dodems as they are called in Anishinaabemowin. 

Nogojiwanong is an Anishinaabe word meaning “place at the foot of the rapids” and the name given to the gathering place, at the bottom of a turbulent stretch of the Otonabee River, renamed Peterborough by European settlers. 

Millennium Park forms the present-day landfall and eddy along the western shoreline. It is also the site of the trailhead to the Chemong Portage – a six- or seven-mile historic footpath between the Otonabee River and Chemong Lake. 

The Nogojiwanong Project location acknowledges these ancestral lands and the thousands of years the Michi Saagiig navigated this route between their winter camps and traditional fishing grounds at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on Lake Ontario. 

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City of Peterborough Community Activities for National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month 2023

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Activities are being held throughout the community, including at City of Peterborough facilities, for residents to take part in National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month in June.

photo courtesy of the city of peterborough.

Highlights from the activities at City of Peterborough facilities:

Art Gallery of Peterborough

250 Crescent St.

  • Exhibition: Special Project: Tea with the Queens, June 7 to June 29, 2023

  • Opening reception for new exhibitions, June 7, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

  • Afternoon Tea with the Queens, June 11 and 14, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and June 11, 13, and 22, 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

  • Indigenous Day Celebrations at Hiawatha First Nation: Art Gallery of Peterborough tent; June 17, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Peterborough Public Library

345 Aylmer St. N.

  • PA Day Family Movie: Indigenous Cinema Shorts for Children, June 9, 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

  • Crafternoon: Beaded Rings with Malinda Gray, June 10, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

  • Teen Book Club: Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley, June 13, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Sunset Story Time with Betty Baker, June 16, 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

  • Non-fiction Book Club: Unreconciled: Family, Truth, and Indigenous Resistance by Jesse Wente, June 20, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

  • Summer Solstice Story Time, National Indigenous Peoples Day at Millennium Park, 130 King St., June 21, 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

  • 10 Indigenous Titles You Should Read this Month featured at the Seniors Showcase, Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre, 775 Brealey Dr., June 21, 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

  • Tween Book Club: Barren Grounds by David Robertson, June 22, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

  • Friday Film & Discussion: Voices Across the Water, June 23, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

  • Adult Book Club: A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt, June 27, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

  • Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Legacy Space, open during library hours

Peterborough Museum and Archives

300 Hunter St. E.

  • ‘To Honour and Respect: Gifts from the Michi Saagiig Women to the Prince of Wales’ exhibit, open during museum hours until mid-November

  • Quillwork Workshops, June 21, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., registration required

  • Pride Flag Scavenger Hunt, during open hours all through June

  • Pride Craft based on the book ‘My Rainbow’ and Stories station, during open hours all through June

  • Indigenous Day Kids Crafts, June 21, during open hours

  • Interpretive tours of the ‘To Honour and Respect: Gifts from the Michi Saagiig Women to the Prince of Wales’ exhibit, available June 21, watch for details on the Museum website and social media

The City of Peterborough’ s Public Art Program invites you to visit The Nogojiwanong Project

The Nogojiwanong Project, located at the south end of Millennium Park, was a collaboration undertaken in the spirit of kinship between local First Nations, Indigenous peoples, and the City of Peterborough in recognition of the 200th anniversary of Rice Lake Treaty No. 20. Through the collaboration, this gathering space was created to encourage learning and reflection with a series of interpretive panels highlighting the evolution of local treaties and inherent rights of Indigenous peoples. The “Gathering” provides the focal point for the space.

Michael Belmore’s, entitled “Gathering,” complements the panels and anchors the space. It consists of a grouping of glacial erratic boulders, carved, lined with copper, and fitted so that they sit slightly apart and seemingly radiate heat. The stones are embellished with the Treaty 20 Clan Totems or Dodems as they are called in Anishinaabemowin.

Nogojiwanong is an Anishinaabe word meaning “place at the foot of the rapids” and the name given to the gathering place, at the bottom of a turbulent stretch of the Otonabee River, renamed Peterborough by European settlers.

Millennium Park forms the present-day landfall and eddy along the western shoreline. It is also the site of the trailhead to the Chemong Portage – a six- or seven-mile historic footpath between the Otonabee River and Chemong Lake.

The Nogojiwanong Project location acknowledges these ancestral lands and the thousands of years the Michi Saagiig navigated this route between their winter camps and traditional fishing grounds at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on Lake Ontario.

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Trent University Partners with Dene First Nation to Offer Innovative New Indigenous Diploma

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Trent University is launching a new Indigenous Environmental Studies & Sciences diploma with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation (YKDFN) for Dene students in the Northwest Territories.

photo courtesy of trent university.

The program will blend Western sciences with Dene Indigenous Knowledge and offering experiential learning opportunities grounded in YKDFN culture.

“Trent’s leadership in Indigenous Studies and Sciences continues with this exciting and innovative new diploma program,” said Dr. Chris Furgal, program co-Director of Trent University’s Indigenous Environmental Studies/Sciences degree program. “The diploma program will provide Indigenous members of the Dene Nation with the opportunity to learn knowledge and develop skills to address complex environmental problems facing their own communities, governments, businesses and society.”

This Dene focused Indigenous Environmental Studies & Sciences diploma is the first diploma program the University has developed in specific partnership with an individual First Nation. It is offered jointly by the Trent School of the Environment and the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies in partnership with Trent’s Indigenous Environmental Studies/Sciences program. The diploma consists of 10 courses over two years with credits transferrable to a B.A. or B.Sc. program.

“This is a really good program. Residential schools and far-away from home education is a thing of the past; we are dealing with reconciliation now and we are hoping that education can be closer to home and family,” said Chief Fred Sangris of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. “The family are the cultural keepers, and this is one reason we want our young people to be closer to their families and home for a brighter future outlook. As Yellowknives Dene First Nation leadership, we fully support the younger generation’s education and future economic prosperity as it happens in the community and still receive the same academic credits as they would have, if they attended southern universities.”

Year One courses will introduce students to foundations in Indigenous learning and the environment. Year Two courses will provide a deeper exploration into language, ethics, the environment, and critical relationships among these things.

All courses will offer a unique opportunity to incorporate Dene ways of knowing and being and their application to land and environment and be tailored to relevant environmental and ecological systems in the North. For example, course work is likely to include local cultural and environmental components including Dene land use protocols, Dene land stewardship practices, and traditional Dene land navigation skills.

To qualify, students must have successfully completed the equivalent of Ontario Grade 12 or qualify as a mature student.

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Indigenous Gifts to Prince of Wales Being On Display For Peterborough Museum & Archives Exbibit Beginning Friday

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Indigenous birch bark baskets are returning to ancestral lands of Michi Saagiig territory as a new temporary exhibit being featured at Peterborough Museum & Archives announced on Tuesday morning.

From left to right) Rachel Peat, Laurie Beavis, Laura Peers and Laurie Carr. The quilled wiigwaasii makakoons must remain in a crate for 48 hours prior to being displayed in order to properly climatize them. Photo by David Tuan bui.

The 13 birch bark baskets, also known as quilled wiigwaasii makakoons (weeg-wah-see mah-ka-coons) go on display to the public beginning Saturday to Nov. 19.

They were made by Michi Saagiig women and gifted to Prince of Wales on Sep. 7, 1860 when he stopped at Rice Lake village (Hiawatha First Nation) as part of a cross-Canada Royal tour.

The exhibition is called “To Honour and Respect: Gifts from the Michi Saagiig Women to the Prince of Wales, 1860,” and explores the cultural knowledge, love, respect and diplomacy that went into the makakoons.

“Hiawatha First Nation and the Mississauga Nation communities are coming together to welcome these Ancestors home for a visit,” said Chief Laurie Carr of Hiawatha First Nation. “We know that the makakoons have the names of women makers attached and there are descendants of these women in our First Nations.

Since 1860, the makakoons have been part of the Royal Trust Collection and housed at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. They are on loan for exhibition by His Majesty King Charles III. The “To Honour and Respect” curators and the Planning Committee have worked closely with the Royal Collection Trust to facilitate the unique loan.

“Royal Collection Trust is delighted to exhibit this group of gifts presented to the future King Edward VII during the landmark first royal meeting with the Michi Saagiig in 1860,” said Rachel Peat, Royal Collection Trust Curator of Decorative Arts. “Since then, these outstanding works of art have been displayed within the royal residences as a symbol of relations between Mississauga Nation communities and the Crown. Today, this project offers an important opportunity to reconnect with Michi Saagiig knowledge holders and affirm links with this community.”

During the visit of the makakoons, there will be associated programming including workshops on quillwork, provided by Hiawatha First Nation artist Sandra Moore, and on Michi Saagiig language, provided by Curve Lake member Jonathan Taylor.

“While the Ancestors are with us on Michi Saagiig Territory, the PMA will create space for everyone to visit, and we will share knowledge about this art through viewing, workshops and language classes,” said Carr. “We will sit with the Ancestors and acknowledge their spirits and what they have to teach us. Each of the makakoons will add to our cultural knowledge and strength as Michi Saagiig Peoples.”

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MPP Dave Smith Announces Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act To Be Introduced

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MPP Dave Smith and other dignitaries have announced the introduction of the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act in a teleconference held on Thursday afternoon.

(from left to right) MPP Dave Smith; Chief Emily Whetung; Michael Ford, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism and Chief Mel Hardy, Anishinabek Nation Regional Deputy Grand Council Chief and former Chief of Curve Lake First Nation. Photo courtesy of MPP Dave Smith.

Michael Ford, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism, Chief Mel Hardy, Anishinabek Nation Regional Deputy Grand Council Chief and Chief Emily Whetung, former Chief of Curve Lake First Nation were also in attendance to make the announcement.

The bill, if passed, creates an award for Cadet Corps and Squadrons at the Annual Ceremonial Reviews. Ontario’s 288 active Canadian Cadet Corps and Squadrons can select a member who has displayed exceptional volunteerism and citizenship over the past year to be eligible for the Murray Whetung Community Service Award.

“Murray Whetung was a pillar in our community. He volunteered to fight in the Second World War and dedicated his life to family and service. I was honoured to receive his endorsement for this legislation before his passing,” said MPP Dave Smith. “This bill does more than recognize the life of one man, it seeks to teach others of the injustices First Nations veterans faced for risking their lives in service to Canada.”

In the First and Second World Wars, roughly 7,000 First Nations residents voluntarily served. For those who served continuously, their rights were stripped for time away from the reserve. Indigenous veterans able to retain their status were often ineligible for benefits available to non-Indigenous veterans following the wars.

“My Shomis (grandfather) was humbled when MPP Smith approached him about the idea of an award named after him,” said Whetung. “My Shomis did what he thought needed to be done and didn’t expect special recognition. He was a shining example of choosing happiness in the face of adversity and an inspiration to so many of us.”

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