Movement of Indigenous Trade

Movement of Indigenous Trade. . , 4:1 | Where the River Bends Wawiiahtanan ZII BII , The Indigenous presence in the Windsor region is extensive and rich with history and the memory of generations. The lakes, rivers, and people, created vibrant connections. Because of the extensive lakes and waterways, the area became a central gathering place. Travelers arrived from all parts of North America through a capillary of rivers and waterways. Today, the descendants of these early populations continue to call this place Wawiiahtanan Zii Bii, Where the River Bends., 4:2 | The Three Sisters , When the early European explorers first arrived on Turtle Island, they encountered vast and complex civilizations. The great numbers of people, the hundreds of different languages spoken, and the incredible wealth of the land amazed early Europeans as they moved further into the North American continent. Early accounts describe the towns and cities. The expansive trade networks covered all of the Americas. Trade items from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic through extensive trade networks using rivers and lakes and ancient land-routes. The landscape occupied by the earliest people resembled parkland. Cultivation and stewardship of the land resulted in a robust and healthy lifestyle. The first populations developed unique techniques for farming and harvesting crops including: corn, beans, gourds, nuts, berries, fish, and large game animals. For thousands of years, the Americans developed successful communities and societies. , In fact 70% of the food we eat today originates with the pre-contact farming methods, including corn, beans, squash, and other gourds, tomatoes, peppers, bananas, citrus, potatoes, and sun flowers, to name a few. One method used included forming a small mound of earth, in the centre of the mound with the squash. As the corn grows and rises, the beans climb the corn plant for support and fixes nitrogen in the soil for the corn, the squashes grow and surround the mound to keep the soil moist and cool. As a sustainable farming practice, these crops provided wholesome nutrients and protected the soil., 4:3 | Turtle Island , Local history reveals the story of a large rock boulder positioned at the entrance to the Detroit River from Lake Erie, at the delta of the Detroit River. The boulder marked a special gathering point for ceremonial purposes. In 1669, Father Rene Francois Brehand de Galinee (1645-1678), Sulpician missionary and explorer described the area:, “found the wild fruits of the forest at their best . . .the grapes as being as large and as sweet as the finest in France . . . He admired the walnuts, chestnuts, wild apples and plums. He found bear-meat more palatable than the most “savory” pig-meat in France. He saw wandering herds of deer, and sometimes as many as two hundred were seen feeding together. To sum up, he calls the region “the terrestrial paradise of Canada.” , “At the end of six leagues we discovered a place that, is very remarkable, and held in great veneration by all the Indians of these countries, because of a stone idol that nature has formed . . . ” , “ . . . they propitiate it by sacrifices, presents of skins, provisions, etc. The place was full of camps . . . it was all painted . . . with vermilion. . . . I consecrated one of my axes to break this god of stone, and then having yoked our canoes together we carried the largest pieces to the middle of the river, and threw all the rest also into the water, I order that it might never be heard of again.”, 4:4 | Turtle Sculpture at Herb Gray Parkway , Furthermore, in early 2000 as plans were underway for the construction of the Herb Gray Parkway along the Detroit River, lying at the bottom of the river engineers discover[ed] a large boulder. Consultation with the local First Nation, at Walpole Island, recounted the de Galinee story. What followed is the creation of a large Turtle Sculpture with the large boulder placed on its back. The sculpture, Homage to Safe Passage, now located as a sculpture along the Herb Gray Parkway. , Local First Nation artist, Teresa Altiman, commissioned to design the animal symbols interpreted from the seven Anishinaabe Ancestors teaching along Turtle Island Walk at the University of Windsor has also designed elements of the Turtle Sculpture at the Herb Gray Parkway. Teresa is a graduate from the College of Art and Design and an honorary fellowship recipient.