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.

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.

The minister said ceremonies like this are a living part of culture and community. This is why we must ensure that we work together to show that reconciliation is not only about acknowledging the past, but building the future, the future that also includes pride of identity, of who we are and acknowledging our ceremonies.

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.