Opaskwayak Cree Nation leader becomes 1st female chief to shoot flaming arrow at annual Indigenous Days event

A longstanding annual event in a Manitoba First Nation made history this year, as its leader became the community's first female chief to shoot the flaming arrow that kicks off the festivities.

Opaskwayak Cree Nation Chief Maureen Brown said she had butterflies thinking about the role she played in the opening ceremonies at this year's Opaskwayak Indigenous Days.

"I'm the first woman chief, so I've had a lot of inquiries about my ability to be able to pull that off," Brown said, adding there's been an "incredible change" happening in communities like hers across Canada that have elected women to lead them.

"A huge resurgence is happening, and you can tell by … the amount of women chiefs and leaders that are coming up in ranks. It's been a long journey," said Brown, who wore her headdress and a ribbon skirt as she shot the arrow into the sky.

"The voice, the balance of what we bring as women, of our emotional and spiritual contribution, is going to be at the table — and that's what it means. So you'll see a lot of changes in a lot of communities when the women are equally represented at the table."

Brown said as chief she's hoping to tackle a number of issues, including bringing people in Opaskwayak Cree Nation "to the place where they recognize, 'Yes, we are capable of governing ourselves. This is our land. This is our home.'"

"We've been bombarded with this narrative that we are not capable, when we are more than capable," she said. "Some of the challenges is actually that: changing that narrative, having a paradigm shift in thinking."

The shooting of the flaming arrow is a tradition at Opaskwayak Indigenous Days, during its opening ceremonies at Pike Lake.

The event runs until Sunday.