When Melissa Arnott speaks in Anishinaabemowin, the whole room listens. Although we don’t understand it, there is a power in this language. Its flows and staccatos. Its unfamiliarity is striking, despite being one of the oldest languages from an area we know so well.
6 years ago, she became involved with Indigenous Women Outdoors (IWO), a volunteer run, not-for-profit organization that holds space for self-identifying Indigenous women and those on the gender continuum to come together and feel safe on the land.
Running, helped her reconnect with herself, her culture and her relationship with the land.