George Couchie celebrates 20 years of connecting people to their Ojibwe culture

A retired OPP officer is marking the 20th anniversary of teaching an Ojibwe culture course he put together.

George Couchie of the Nipissing First Nation told CBC News that teaching Ojibwe culture to young people is a way to "fill the void" that happens when they lose their sense of self.

The course, called Walking the Path, can connect people with their culture, and make a difference in their lives.

Damage from residential school abuse ripples through the generations, he noted.

"For our communities, we're actually healing from the inside out and it's these young people that are coming back into the community and wanting to learn the language."

Couchie has also taught the course to police officers and many teachers have adopted it for their classrooms.

Connecting people back to their culture helps to build self-esteem, he added.

"A friend of mine is an anthropologist, and he said, once you lose your culture and your traditions, there is a void inside of you. That void is either filled by alcohol or drugs."

Couchie said he has seen the difference the course can make in the lives of young people, and would like the course to continue to spread throughout the region.