The Hon. Graydon Nicholas, C.M., O.N.B., LL.D. is a distinguished and highly respected Wolastoqey Elder, lawyer, judge, social worker, and activist. He is originally from Tobique First Nation, which is 180 kilometers northwest of Fredericton.
Graydon’s title is Wihkwatacamit (week-ah-dutch-mid), a Wolastoqey word that means “the person who loves to tell stories”. This title aptly reflects Graydon’s personality, as well as the way in which local Indigenous culture and traditions, including legal norms and practices, are communicated.
The National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples is celebrated on December 12 every year, on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, who appeared to a humble native peasant, Juan Diego, in Mexico in 1531. The Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council celebrates this day for prayer, solidarity and reconciliation, by issuing an annual message honouring Indigenous People who were inspired by their Catholic faith.
