Cree family hosts traditional rite of passage for special needs son and brother near Montreal
'Very sacred' Walking Out ceremony believed to be first on Mohawk land
It was a special Walking Out ceremony a long time in the making.
A Walking Out is a traditional ceremony in Cree culture where a young child's first contact with the ground is celebrated. It usually takes place near to the time when they take their first steps and in some Cree communities, it happens at sunrise.
For three-year-old Osiris Matoush, of Mistissini, it was a different path.
"It was a difficult time and challenging … to raise a special needs child — especially one with cerebral palsy," said Osiris's dad, Erasmus Matoush.
When Osiris was born prematurely three years ago, Erasmus and his wife Colleen — and eventually their ten other children — relocated from Mistissini in northern Quebec to Montreal to access medical help he needed.
Osiris spent the first 300 days of his life in a hospital and is still unable to walk or talk. He does though, have a 1000-watt smile.
The Matoush family was determined that despite his challenges, Osiris would still have this important rite of passage for a Cree child.
And on June 10, they made a Walking Out ceremony happen in Kahnawake, Que., near Montreal, for Osiris and his younger brother Amadeus.
The ceremony and a feast happened at the Mohawk-Cree Teepee, an all-nation cultural space that opened in 2022 southwest of Montreal.
It is believed to be the first Cree Walking Out ceremony held on Mohawk land.
"It's the first time he [Osiris] is really experiencing the outdoors," said Erasmus, who helped his son "walk" out of the teepee, placing his son's feet on the ground one step at a time as extended family from Mistissini and Montreal gathered around.
Welcoming child into Cree society
A Cree Walking Out ceremony is a way to welcome a child into Cree society and a way to bless him or her as they discover their gifts in life and bless their roles as either hunter (provider) or homemaker.
According to Cree tradition — and in the case of Osiris and Amadeus — children are not set on the ground outside of the home before their Walking Out.
"I'm sure [Osiris] felt the energy. It was like 'OK, something big is happening now,'" said Erasmus, who built the 25-foot-high teepee himself, clearing the land in Kahnawake and stripping the trees himself. He set the poles and the family collected spruce boughs to place on the ground.
WATCH: Osiris Matoush takes his first ceremonial steps
Erasmus said he felt relief both for Osiris and his youngest son, Amadeus, aged one, who had been walking around inside the house for several weeks before the ceremony.
"He's ready to be outdoors now. For me, it's a good feeling … not having to restrain him from going outside," said Erasmus.
The Walking Out is a tradition that was almost lost to the forces of colonization, according to Osiris's and Amadeus's grandmother, Minnie Anna Matoush.
"This is very sacred to us … as Cree people," said Minnie.
"This is part of our culture and our identity and I'm very, very happy that my special one got to continue this and walk with this baby brother," she said.
Many of Osiris's and Amadeus's extended family made their way south from Mistissini to witness the ceremony and share in a feast at the teepee.
"It's quite a blessing for the Mohawk to allow us to do [this] and share this cultural tradition with them," said Mary Ann Coon Come, a great aunt, who came with her husband Matthew to take part in the ceremony.
According to Mohawk Bobby Patton, who is one of the people behind the Mohawk-Cree Teepee project and on whose family land the teepee sits, it is the very first time a Cree Walking Out ceremony has been held in Mohawk territory.
"It made me very proud," said Patton, who worked as a police officer for many years in the Cree community of Waskaganish.
"Especially when the children started coming out, because I saw it happen when I lived in the North, but I never participated like I have on this one."
The teepee Erasmus built and used for the ceremony will stay on the site, and Patton hopes it will be used for other traditional ceremonies.
That is something that makes Erasmus happy.
"I cut the trees by myself and I was doing everything by myself," said Erasmus. But the canvas was proving difficult.
By the morning of the event, Erasmus still hadn't been able to put the canvas in place on his own. He had tried several different times and different ways.
"My family got together and came to the rescue," he said. "To support me and help me finish this teepee."
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