Omaeqnomenew Maeqtekos Otamaskaw 2025

On May 24^th, 2025, First Nations Outreach, Inc. partnered up with Marla Mahkimetas and Omaeqnomenew Maeqtekos Otamaskaw to celebrate their 15^th annual canoe journey.

Marla Mahkimetas is Kaeyas Mamaceqtaw (Ancient Being), or as most know them, Menominee.

As a youngster, in the late 1900’s Marla, saw a beautiful vision of her people in canoes again, as they were prior to colonial contact.

Unknowingly, at that same time other Indigenous people around the world had a similar vision. All of which are now reunifying their relationships with their canoes, waterways, and cultural practices.

Marla’s healing canoe journey began with inviting her son to paddle with her on one of their lakes that is almost 8 miles long. While on that journey, they both witnessed the water beings, land and sky beings coming close to greet them, reaffirming to her that it was time to reunite all her people back to the water and the canoe. That day with her son was another profound gift from Creator and her ancestors that she’s honored to have been entrusted with such a huge task and responsibility.

Almost two decades later she coordinated the first Omaeqnomenew Maeqtekos Otamaskaw (OMO), Menominee Canoe Journey.