Some common ground has been reached between the family of a traditional Ojibwe Gravehouse at the Cemetery and the City of Dryden.
Everett Dylan MacKinnon-Ottertail spoke to CKDR News about concerns he had with an order to remove the structure due to by-law violations.
In an update on the CKDR Facebook page, the brother of the deceased says a great weight has been lifted off their shoulders and the City has allowed them to keep the Gravehouse up.
He adds officials have committed to working towards inclusion for Indigenous customs at the cemetery going forward.
The two parties met today and MacKinnon-Ottertail says “While we were there to educate them, they also educated us”, noting it won’t be an overnight change.
He says they have been assured that the city will review the relative bylaws to accommodate Indigenous and uncommon burial customs to the best of their ability, but they also agree that Dryden could be a key area for reconciliation.
Here is the full statement from Everett Dylan MacKinnon-Ottertail:
“A great weight has been lifted off our shoulders today. The city has decided to allow us to keep the Gravehouse up, and are committed to working towards inclusion for Indigenous customs at the Dryden cemetery going forward.
While we were there to educate them, they also educated us. It will not be an overnight change, the layout and available plots are problematic for what we envisioned. We have been assured that the city will review the relative bylaws to accommodate Indigenous and uncommon burial customs to the best of their ability, but also they agree that Dryden could be a key area for reconciliation.
Thank you for everyone who accompanied me to this meeting. In the last few days I was afraid I’d be confronting the city alone, but I felt stronger with people from different institutions around me with the same vision, now including the city themselves. I’ve never felt like an activist before, but if I have one piece of advice for people who feel they need to stand up for what they believe in, just be yourself. I was angry when I caught wind of the letter we were sent, but moving forward I realized that’s not who I am and it’s not the right path to take.
I took an approach of presenting knowledge, and letting them turn that into wisdom. 
I did not want it to be a suit and tie kind of meeting, I wanted everyone to speak from what’s in their heart. What we left the table with was a shared wisdom, and it’s a very gratifying feeling.
Feel free to continue to share but keep in mind that the city now has our full cooperation.
Let’s continue to spread the knowledge and wisdom and let people know that we are accepting of different ways we honor people in death, and to not be afraid.”
