Landscapes from Manidoo Abi: A Photographic Journey on the Eastside of Lake Winnipeg

For the First Nations people who have lived for thousands of years on the Eastside of Lake Winnipeg this is the place where the Creator sits
– Manidoo Abi.

The intent of Landscapes from Manidoo Abi is to capture for the first time ever the timeless beauty of the land and waterways on the Eastside
of Lake Winnipeg and share these stunning colour photograph images with the rest of the world, and to broadly promote the area, as stated by
UNESCO, “as an outstanding example of the Canadian Boreal Shield both geographically and culturally.”

There are three components to this initiative that are designed to fulfill the stated intent. The first is the creation of a website. Secondly, is the production of a limited edition 11 x 12 inch hard cover coffee table book and finally, a Gala Exhibit will held in Winnipeg in September of 2008 to showcase the best of the landscape images.

Formed by the laws of nature some 2 billion years ago, and commonly known as the Canadian Shield, the land on the Eastside of Lake Winnipeg is covered over by coniferous forest, ponds, bogs, and wild rice marshes, laced with tumbling rivers, and tied together by multitude of lakes, eventually draining into Canada’s sixth largest water body – Lake Winnipeg.

This region also provides one of the largest protected habitats for the threatened woodland caribou in Manitoba, which share the forests, wetlands and waterways with other wildlife typical of the boreal forest such as; snowshoe hares, marten, lynx, moose, wolves, fishers, black bears, and wolverines, while bald eagles watch from their lofty perch.

So unique is this area, that a 4.3 million hectare region on the East side of Lake Winnipeg has been short-listed by the government of Canada for nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

For more information please visit www.manidooabi.org and view a slideshow of images taken for the limited edition coffee table book or to learn more about this unique initiative.