6-Month-Old Cree Girl Participates in Traditional Walking Out Ceremony on Parliament Hill

The event involved 6-month-old Annora Crowe, marking her first steps outside the home.

The ceremony served as an opportunity for members of Parliament and federal government workers to observe elements of Indigenous cultures. A Walking Out ceremony is specific to James Bay Cree traditions, though other Cree nations also conduct it. In the ritual, the child takes initial steps on outdoor ground, typically at sunrise, after previously being carried or kept indoors.

Ceremony Details Annora Crowe emerged from a teepee on Parliament Hill, accompanied by her mother and grandmother, all wearing matching ribbon skirts.

She walked to a small pine tree, where she held a toy axe to symbolically cut pine boughs with her parents. The group then circled the tree counterclockwise before returning to the teepee.

Inside the teepee, Crowe was joined by dignitaries, friends, and family. Three drummers performed a traditional calling-in song for the family.

She stated that ceremonies like this are living parts of Cree culture and community. The minister emphasized the need to incorporate such traditions into reconciliation efforts, which include acknowledging the past and building a future with pride in Indigenous identity.

Crowe and her parents, Kimisha-Ann Capissisit and Marcus Perusse-Crowe, along with Capissisit's mother Angela Ottereyes, are members of Waswanipi and the Cree Nation of Waskaganish.

The minister had called for families in her constituency to participate in the event on Parliament Hill. The ceremony aimed to demonstrate that Indigenous cultures are active in the present and future, informing decision-making at Indigenous Services Canada.

Relevant government files include negotiations on First Nations child and family services reform and addressing a backlog of Jordan's Principle requests.

Both areas involve Indigenous families' support for children, which the minister linked to the ceremony's themes. She noted that long-term reforms seek to integrate the meaning of ceremonies and Indigenous identity into policy processes.

Statements from Participants Angela Ottereyes, Crowe's grandmother, shared her thoughts on social media.

“Our ceremonies matter. Our rites of passage are valid. They are living, breathing expressions of who we are — and they belong wherever we choose to carry them.”

A Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister, who is Anishinaabe, Inninew, and Métis, attended and drummed during the event. In a statement, the minister described the ceremony as a reminder of Indigenous cultures' vitality. The statement noted that such ceremonies were once prohibited under the Indian Act.