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See photos from a Wabanaki eclipse ceremony

The day of the total solar eclipse began with a sunrise ceremony.

How Wabanaki folks celebrated love between Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Sun

CBC News ·
A woman with long dark hair glowing in the sunlight holds up a hand drum.
People travelled from as far away as Sipayik (Passamaquoddy Pleasant Point Reservation) in Maine to take part in a total solar eclipse ceremony at the Resiliency Lodge in Gagetown. (Ann Paul/CBC)

This is part of a series called Ann's Eye, featuring the work of Ann Paul, a Wolastoqey content creator. You can see more Ann's Eye pieces by clicking here.

For Wabanaki folks at the Resiliency Lodge in Gagetown, the day of the total solar eclipse began with the sunrise.

A fast also began at dawn and lasted 10 hours to show gratitude for all that Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Sun have done.

"It's a small sacrifice we make for what they're giving us," Ann Paul said she was told by Wolastoqey Grand Chief Ron Tremblay, who led the ceremony.

WATCH: 'It's the very first marriage': 

Ann's Eye: Inside an Indigenous eclipse ceremony

8 months ago
Duration 2:49
People travelled from within and outside New Brunswick to the Resiliency Lodge in Gagetown to take part in an eclipse ceremony. The event involved fasting, a sunrise ceremony, sacred fire, singing, drumming and teachings about what an eclipse means in Indigenous culture.

The day also included a pipe ceremony, teachings, singing, drumming and story-sharing.

"We sang for the water, for the Wolastoq," Ann Paul said. "The water in itself is a big part of the moon."

Watch the video and scroll through the photos to see how the day unfolded.

A group of people stand outside in a circle around a fire as the sky darkens above them.
The day began with a sunrise ceremony. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A man stands on grass facing the horizon, where the sun is setting.
Wolastoqey Grand Chief Ron Tremblay offered many teachings throughout the day, Ann Paul said. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A young girl with long dark hair and wearing a purple sweater and light blue skirt stands outside staring up at the sun. She's wearing dark shades.
Wolastoqey Grand Chief Ron Tremblay invited Ann Paul to document the day for CBC so that future generations would know how an eclipse ceremony unfolds. (Ann Paul/CBC)
Two men holding hand drums stand next to each other outside.
The day featured lots of drumming and singing, Ann Paul said. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A woman and a man holding hand drums sit on grass with a baby, who's lifting a drum stick over the drum.
Many people brought their bundles, which hold sacred objects such as medicines and sweet grass, to the ceremony. Ann Paul's bundle has eagle feathers in it — and her camera, of course. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A smiling man with long, green hair crouches down on the ground in front of a blue lawn chair. Another man sits in a blue lawn chair next to him.
'For those two minutes that the sun went dark, everybody was so happy. All that joy and happiness changed something in the world,' Ann Paul said. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A group of people stand outside in a circle of wooden posts facing the same direction.
After the eclipse ended, Ann Paul said many felt like they were in a spiritual high. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A young, smiling girl with pigtails and wearing a green dress stands in front of a smiling woman sitting on the grass.
There was lots of joy during the day of the total solar eclipse. (Ann Paul/CBC)
Two elderly women wearing long, colourful skirts and bundled up in winter coats and hats sit in lawn chairs in the sun.
The eclipse ceremony took several hours, but a sacred fire burned to keep people warm. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A man wearing a red bandana and a feather in his long, dark hair sits on the front porch of a house in conversation with a woman with long hair and wearing a jean jacket and skirt.
'I believe the people that were there will always be connected in one way, shape or form because they shared that one moment in history,' Ann Paul said. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A man wearing a yellow headband and red jacket sits outside on a chair beating a hand drum.
There were many ceremonies throughout the day, including a water ceremony and a pipe ceremony, which commenced at peak totality. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A group of people sit in a circle around a smoking fire pit. The sun casts long shadows across the grass.
'The energy in the air was so ecstatic. It got darker and darker. The vibrations were so high. And then all of a sudden it got quiet. The birds even stopped singing, and we were out in the woods,' Ann Paul said. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A firepit surrounded by wooden posts and bare trees is cast in shadow.
After the eclipse ended, Ann Paul said many felt like they were on a spiritual high. 'The hair on my arms stood up. You could feel the energy in the air.' (Ann Paul/CBC)
A large, grey house with white trim sits on a wide yard.
The Resiliency Lodge in Gagetown offers land-based healing for Indigenous women. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A bespectacled man with long grey hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing a blue sweater stands at a cluttered kitchen counter, looking out a window. There is a brown-haired woman behind him.
People had a large meal the evening before the eclipse since the fast would begin early the next morning. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A graphic drawing shows an Indigenous woman holding a camera up to her eye.
(CBC News Graphics)

Ann's Eye

Photographer Ann Paul brings an Indigenous lens to stories from First Nations communities across New Brunswick. Click here or on the image below to see more of her work. 

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