The former Kapyong Barracks site has a new name.
The Treaty One First Nations who acquired the land in 2019 after years of legal challenges announced Thursday that the site is now known as Naawi-Oodena.
The name means “centre of the heart and community” in the Anishinaabe language and represents the site’s location at the centre of the continent.
The traditional name was chosen at a name-giving ceremony April 14 by elder Dave Courchene Jr. at Sagkeeng First Nation.
“The name Naawi-Oodena signals the beginning of a promising new community and relationship with
our Treaty One relatives and neighbours.
We look forward to creating an inclusive and inviting space for all people,” said Treaty One spokesperson Chief Dennis Meeches of Long Plain First Nation.
“Naawi-Oodena will be a place of hope and optimism for First Nations people for many generations to
come.”
The former military base on Kenaston Boulevard closed in 2004, when its occupants moved to Canadian Forces Base Shilo, near Brandon. Demolition of all former military buildings on the site began in the spring of last year.
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