Here at the Haunted Walk, we love learning about the history of our cities and no history would ever be complete without the stories of Indigenous life and culture. Our Toronto team had the exciting opportunity to experience the Redwing Institute’s Culture and Nature Discovery Walk to learn about Indigenous cultural traditions, and history in the Humber River area. Lisa Gervais, Redwing’s founder, expertly guided us through forest, field and even food! It was an epic adventure along the river with many activities for us to enjoy such as a smudging ceremony, a song to sing, and a bannock with maple syrup sampling (yum).
We are really grateful for our time with Lisa, learning about the different Indigenous peoples who have lived on and cared for the land we call Toronto for over 12,000 years. The name Toronto comes from the Mohawk work “tkaronto” meaning “trees standing in the water” (a common misconception is that the word means “meeting place”). This refers to how some groups used to hunt food by coralling fish, beavers, and other animals in a fence-like structure in the water.
The Redwing Institute does really incredible work and we are happy to call them a friend and partner company. After all of the stories and topics we explored, we certainly have a better understanding of Indigenous cultures. We would very much like to thank them for a wonderful afternoon and learning opportunity. If you would like to learn more about Indigenous history and life in the Toronto area, and experience the Culture and Nature Discovery Walk for yourself, we invite you to check out https://redwinginstitute.com. Every ticket helps fund skill development programs for Indigenous women. We can’t recommend the tour enough!
Written by: Jillian Wakarchuk
Tour Guide
Haunted Walk of Toronto
