Bluewater District School Board

Bluewater's ZGAA-BIIG-NI-GAN: WE ARE CONNECTED page

ZGAA-BIIG-NI-GAN: WE ARE CONNECTED

ZGAA-BIIG-NI-GAN: WE ARE CONNECTED
Posted on 06/11/2018
On June 21, 2018, the bridge that spans the Saugeen River in Southampton will officially receive its name. G. C. Huston Public School, in consultation with Elders from Saugeen First Nation, has chosen the name, Zgaa-biig-ni-gan (Zgaa-beeg-ni-gun), which means ‘we are connected’, or more precisely, ‘from one end to the other, we are connected’.

Students and staff at G.C. Huston hope that their community and visitors will appreciate the symbolic meaning of this name. A bridge unites a community previously divided in a physical way. Similarly, our gestures of peace, understanding and love toward one another bridge our differences and unite us in a very special way – as one family.

On National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21) at 1:00 p.m., G.C. Huston is inviting the community to show support for ‘truthful relationships’ and unity by meeting on the bridge. At 12:50, community members will begin to gather on the bridge from both sides to symbolize their ‘end to end’ connection. They will meet in the middle of the bridge to unveil new road signs and to celebrate the community coming together as one family. The people of Saugeen Shores and Saugeen First Nation are asked to make plans to be part of the gathering. To support this very special event, the school has asked business owners to allow staff members to join in. While the occasion will be brief (approximately 15 minutes), it will be extremely important and show our children that their community takes ‘truth and reconciliation’ very seriously, while exemplifying unity to those outside of the community.

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Bluewater District School Board is located on the traditional land of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, which is represented by the communities of Saugeen First Nation and Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation.
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