National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration

Sunday June 21, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Join Taiaiako’n Historical Preservation Society on National Indigenous Peoples Day at the High Park Nature Centre OURSpace Garden for the planting of a Sacred Sunflower Circle, and art happening/ceremony in three parts. The Sunflower Circle, an earthwork conceived of by Catherine Tammaro (Spotted Turtle Clan FaithKeeper; Wyandot of Anderdon Nation) and Joce Two-Crows Tremblay (Beaver Clan; Great Lakes metis/Wendat), represents a practice of placekeeping on the north shore of Lake Ontario. With this Sunflower Circle we honor the four directions and our place within the sacred multiverse including the inseparable All: Time, Space, Love and Creation.

THPS members, Donna Powless (Snipe Clan, Cayuga of the Six Nations) and Sam Charral (Bear Clan; Wendat/Cree) will join Tammaro and Tremblay in ceremony which honours the Circle and the Sacred Land of High Park, which is home to cultural sites of great spiritual significance to Onkwehonwe Peoples and the Ancestral energies of this space. THPS Member and Settler Accomplice, Kim Jackson, will be honouring MMIW2sT+ by tying red prayer strips in the small tree inside the circle during the ceremony. Our planting ceremony, we deepen our shared awareness and connection to the Indigenous re-storying of these Lands in spiritually generated art making and activation.

Thank you to the Department of Canadian Heritage for funding this event.

Free

Platform: Zoom.

For More info and to RSVP to receive the Zoom link and password on the June 21: https://highparknaturecentre.com/special-events

Sunflower illustration by Catherine Tammaro©2020

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Queer your connection to the land with Joce Two Crows Tremblay!

From Two Spirit teachings of Changing Ones, to stories of Queer Ecologies, learn about our inseparable connection to the Land, and just how Queer it really is!

This Indigenous-led event will take place online on Saturday, June 13, 1PM-2PM.

RSVP to “Wild & Queer: a Wonder Wander with Joce Two Crows Tremblay ” at: https://highparknaturecentre.com/special-events

Jane’s Walk: Medicine Wonder Wander along Niwa’ah onega’haih’ih (colonial name: Humber River)

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Time:  1 – 3 pm

Register here to receive zoom link

Taiaiako’n Historical Preservation Society members Donna Powless and Catherine Tammaro ~ Taǫmęˀšreˀ ~ date:žátǫ ngyaˀwiš hatiyerunǫˀ welcome us with traditional teachings to be followed by a Wonder Wander with Joce Two-Crows Tremblay along Niwa’ah onega’haih’ih. As we witness the many medicines, plants, animals, and waters along the way, Two-Crows offers a restorying of the river and the Land as a medicine in itself.  The Wonder Wander will also include the legacy of Two-Spirit work with the Re-sistering Garden, Honorable Harvest and Moon teachings, and drumming and singing.

Last Full Moon walk for 2019

Last Full Moon Walk for 2019 led by Donna Powless. It was slushy snow outside. We gathered around a sacred fire to hear teachings on the Little Spirit Moon and the Winter as the dream time. Lena kept fire for us and Lisa Lavoie carried the Hiawatha flag around the circle. It was slippery out so Jenny recreated a nature walk indoors with tree bows, bouquet’s and hanging branches. Donna Powless gave teachings on: white pine, cedar, witch hazel, sumac, wild strawberry… We made pine cone decorations and processed prairie sage from the Friends of Watkinson Park native plant/pollinator garden. We hand painted little bags and wrote tags of affirmation for the Winter season and filled them with the sage and tied them with a ribbon – Joce Two-Crows Tremblay will bring them to the Native Women’s Resource Center to distribute among community. We sang and danced, had an delicious Feast of fish stew, corn bread and lentil salad (By Catherine Tammaro) welcomed a new spotted turtle into a circle of stuffed critters, and gifted all the volunteers who have been so important to putting on these Full Moon gatherings. Thanks to all who help put on this gathering. Looking forward to continuing in the New Year!

 

November, 2019 Full Moon Walk in High Park

THPS and the High Park Nature Centre are presenting our November Full Moon Nature Walk with Carolynne Crawley

Saturday, November 9th, 3-6pm. Gather in the garden south of the Nature Centre, 375 Colborne Lodge Drive (see map on poster below).

Carolynne Crawley is a Mi’kmaw woman with African and Celtic ancestry and a forest therapy trainer and mentor. Crawley leads workshops in relationship building to develop and strengthen healthy, reciprocal relationships based upon Indigenous teachings that decolonize existing interactions with the Land. Her work includes facilitating the Kairos Blanket Exercise which educates settler peoples about the history of Land theft and genocide of Indigenous peoples. Crawley is passionate about her community work, which focuses on sharing teachings from the Land, knowledge of traditional skills such as harvesting foods and medicines, food justice (accessing healthy affordable foods) and relationship with self, others and the Land.

We will have an opening ceremony around a sacred fire with Donna Powless (Cayuga, Six Nations), Catherine Coming Day Tammaro (Wyandot Faithkeeper) and Joce Two-Crows Tremblay (Great Lakes métis), a guided nature engagement with Carolynne Crawley (Mi’kmaw with African and Celtic ancestry) followed by a poetic creative activity and corn husk doll making. We will then feast and have a closing with drumming and song.

October Full Moon Walk

Catherine Coming Day Tammaro (Wendat) led us on the Full Moon Event for October. Under a brilliant canopy of golden orange leaves, Tammaro gave teachings on the Autumnal time when the veil between the spirit world and the material world are thin. Special guest Elder from Thunder Bay, Ma-Nee Chacoby (Anishinaabe) from also spoke about the importance of Love as an expression of Gichi-Manidoo (Great Spirit) .

Joce Two-Crows Tremblay then took us on a wonder wander to find acorns, leaves, and whatever else that we could work with for the Ancestral Circles art activity guided by Tammaro. Donna Powless also showed us how to make corn husk dolls out of husks from the corn that was planted in the three sisters gardens stewarded by Two-Crows Tremblay as part of their Indigenous Land Sovereignty practice,  as well as white corn from Six Nations. And then we feasted on squash soup, corn and avocado salad and bannock.

Thanks to Jon, Jenny and Sam from the Nature Centre, and all the volunteers.

High Park Silent Action

THPS has been working with a coalition of Indigenous activists and cultural workers to organize an Indigenous Land Sovereignty Circle. The Circle will advocate and organize for Righting Relations, No More Glyphosate in High Park (or anywhere), Consultation with Indigenous Peoples on their Lands and Stewardship. This was our first public action. Indigenous women and 2-Spirit peoples will be prioritized. All allies welcome!

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The waters of High Park’s Grenadier Pond, and the surrounding lands are in need of healing.

Recent efforts to remove phragmites a nonnative tall grass species around the pond’s edge have relied on glyphosate (a.k.a. Monsanto-Bayer’s Roundup). These chemicals are toxic to plants, animals, birds, insects, and to the lands and waters. They are also toxic to the people who work with them.

It is time to say NO to chemical management and YES to Indigenous Stewardship.

On October 13, 2019, join Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers, and community leaders in a Silent Action to bring ceremony and healing to the lands and waters.

We gathered at 1 p.m. at the waters edge to share knowledge about land stewardship and the problems with chemical management while we make art for the Silent Action

At 2:30 p.m. we began a ceremony to honour the lands, waters, and all relations.

At 3:00 p.m. we began a Silent Action, holding hands around the pond.

**Please contact us at indigenouslandstewardshipTO@gmail.com if you would like to support this action, through donations of art materials, or other forms of support.

 

 

September Full Moon event in High Park

Septembers Indigenous led Full Moon walk was led by Vivian Recollet. Joce Two-Crows Tremblay harvested ancestral corn from the Three Sisters garden planted earlier in the Summer. Vivian Recollet led us in song and teachings about water. Donna Powless gave a Cayuga language teaching on the colors.

September Full Moon Walk in High Park

Join us for a Full Moon Nature Walk and water teachings with Vivian Recollet. We are honored to share space with Recollet who is an Anishinaabe Grandmother and is Turtle Clan from Wikwemikong unceded territory located on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. She sits on the Grandmothers circle for the Great Lakes Water Walk.

Joce Two Crows Tremblay and Donna Powless from THPS doing Sacred Fire, art activities, drumming and song. Feast provided by Ojibiikens.

Saturday, Sept 14th from 3-6pm. Meet at the Nature Centre, 375 Colborne Lodge Drive.

High Park Nature Walk – upcoming

High Park Nature Walk – this Saturday!!

Our event guide for the upcoming walk on Saturday July 13, is Carol Squire, Kanien’keha (Mohawk) language teacher from the Native Canadian Center of Toronto. Also present will be Donna Powless, Catherine Tammaro and Joce Two-Crows Tremblay.

We will be doing a nature walk, Three Sisters Garden teachings and art activities based on the importance of language to Indigenous cultural survival. Indigenous languages give us meanings, descriptions and connectivity authentic to these Lands. Come learn some Kanien’keha language and find out how that might transform your view of the Lands on which we live. These walks are kid centered – family friendly. Please Share!