Thunderbird eggs returned to their ‘nest’ at Kettle and Stony Point First Nation

Two ancient stone spheres were returned home to Kettle and Stony Point First Nation on the shores of Lake Huron last Tuesday.

The boulders are called cauldrons because their shape and size are similar to a saucepan, and they were found in a community about 220 kilometers southwest of Toronto.

They have cultural significance for Anishinaabek. Lorekeepers describe Kettle Point Beach as the nesting site of Thunderbirds: powerful spirits who provide protection and bring healing rains to communities in exchange for preserving their sacred sites. Teapots are eggs.

This point is believed to be the source of power, which disappears from the stones if they are removed.

Christy Bressette, a member of Kettle and Stony Point and vice-provost for Indigenous initiatives at Western University in London, Ontario, was instrumental in returning the teapots that were in the university's possession.

“Bringing home sacred objects like Thunderbird eggs is critical to the community and is a great start,” Bressette said.

“Our work is not finished.”

Bressette said sharing Indigenous knowledge offers “sustainable solutions” and benefits everyone, not just Indigenous communities.

“This work supports a much larger endeavor in which we not only make peace with each other, but make peace with the earth,” she said.

The Cauldrons were welcomed home with a pipe ceremony and song of honor.

Bernard George, who spoke during the rematriation ceremony, said it was an important day because the Thunderbird is sacred to the Anishnabek people. It's in their country's flag, in their stories and traditions.

He said the elders told him when he was growing up that the Thunderbird comes during storms to warn people to be careful, and he said when the teapots crack, their spirit is released.

Jordan George, language revitalization and communications coordinator for Kettle and Stony Point, was on the rematriation task force and said he felt “full” after they were brought back.

“But I also know that this is the first step towards the repatriation and care of thousands of other stones that have been removed from our shores,” he said.

He said there were three kettles at the university. The largest and smallest, as well as several fragments, were returned to the country last Tuesday.

Another teapot, brought in by melting glaciers during one of the Ice Ages and discovered during excavations at the university's Weldon Library, will remain at the university.

From “The Age of Fishes”

Stones calcite nodules and may crack if stored out of water. Desmond Moser, associate dean for decolonization in Western's Faculty of Science, said this happens because rainwater, which is slightly acidic, can seep through small cracks, causing the minerals in the kettles to dissolve.

The teapots are unique because of their composition and age, he said. Some of them were formed 370 million years ago during the Devonian period (or age of fish) of the Paleozoic era.

The largest teapot returned last Tuesday was found in the 1990s, donated to the university by the owner of a gravel pit and used in a teaching rock garden.

Moser said he and his colleagues were unaware of the cultural significance of the cauldrons and that they should not be moved.

He said last Tuesday's ceremony was what the public wanted and provided a learning opportunity for scientists.

“Historically, geologists, non-Indigenous geologists, haven't really understood or even taken the time to understand Indigenous peoples' relationships with rocks and earth,” he said.

David Cloud, a lorekeeper and council member, said that as a child he always wanted to see the thunderbird eggs come home and couldn't believe it had finally happened.

He grew up near a place known as “the nest” on the lake due to the concentration of eggs found there, and learned teachings about them from his grandparents.

Soon the children of the community will be learning these teachings in elementary school.