Stop 1 - Introduction
Ingo-ode...Niizhoziibean...Nikeying, these are Anishinaabe words. Anishinaabemowin is one of many Indigenous languages spoken for thousands of years on the very spot where you now stand.These words are the inspiration for our tour today: Ingo-ode (One Heart), Niizhoziibean (Two Rivers), Nikeying (Four Directions).
Stop 2 - Indigenous Meeting Places
Indigenous nations have been gathering at The Forks for over 6,000 years. All around us, there are Indigenous connections to this place.
Stop 3 - Ceremony - Gift-Giving & Reciprocity
Forming and maintaining relationships is Inendiwin in Anishinaabemowin. Relationships to other nations, individuals and to the land were grounded in values of respect, responsibility and reciprocity.A good way of demonstrating reciprocity was through the practice of gift-giving. It was part of protocol in some ceremonies — a way to seal and confirm political and trade alliances — in a show of respect. The importance of the occasion often dictated what kinds of gifts were given.Gift-giving was and is for Indigenous peoples a way to honour relationships between humans and all beings, or “all my relations.” For many, the term “all my relations” expresses a worldview that sees the land and all living beings — the crawlers, the swimmers, the four-legged, the winged ones, the rock and water beings — as true relatives, deserving of the same respect of personhood in all decisions that affect them.For many Indigenous nations, tobacco (one of the Four Sacred Medicines) is a gift offered when harvesting berries, hunting deer or praying to the water. It is part of ceremony.
Stop 4 - Celebrations – Traditional Games
Sometimes trade negotiations and peace agreements at The Forks took place over days, even weeks. Seasonal gatherings could also happen over a long period of time. This left plenty of time to socialize.Competitions and games were popular pastimes for men, women and children. For children, games were a way to develop critical thinking, dexterity, strength and endurance, as well as problem solving and social skills.Different types of games were played by different nations who visited The Forks. Some games were unique to a particular nation; some games were held in common.
Stop 5 - Significance of Waterways and Water
Let's take some time to talk about the water that flows next to us. This is the Red River. It is 880 kilometres long. It begins at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers at what is now the border between Minnesota and North Dakota. It then flows north through southern Manitoba, past The Forks and into Lake Winnipeg.The Assiniboine River is 1,070 km long and meanders through Saskatchewan to Manitoba until it reaches the Red. Its main tributaries are the Qu’Appelle, Souris and Whitesands rivers.Both the Red and the Assiniboine served as important transportation routes for many Indigenous peoples, connecting and sustaining them for thousands of years. Both feed into watersheds that can take you: north, all the way to Hudson Bay; west, to the Rocky Mountains; south, joining the Mississippi and then into the Gulf of Mexico; or east, through the Great Lakes to the St. Lawrence River.As impressive as this is, the significance of water is so much more.For many Indigenous peoples who gathered and continue to gather in this territory, water is understood as being sacred and alive, and therefore to be respected and protected. And for many, women are the traditional water protectors and carriers, while men are the keepers of the fire.
Stop 6 - Navigation – Science and the Stars
As we walk around this part of The Forks, known as the amphitheatre, let’s imagine the many campfires that would have dotted the banks of the two rivers under a spectacular night sky long ago.With families and extended families, trade brigades and diplomatic delegations gathered around those campfires. Many would be settling in for the night after having travelled long distances — sometimes journeying thousands of kilometres either on foot or by canoe to arrive at this destination. They would have been guided by a profound knowledge of the constellations, the sun, the moon and the Four Directions.
Stop 7 - Indigenous Technology - Canoes & York Boats
Take a moment to think about how you got here today. More than likely, you drove, rode or walked on a road or sidewalk. But for hundreds of years, people often got here using the water. Look at the text panels in front of you to learn more about two primary vessels, the canoe and the York boat, that were the main means of transportation of goods and people all along this water highway. Both were essential working vehicles during the fur trade era.
Stop 8 - Oral Traditions
For the many Indigenous nations who came to The Forks, their knowledge systems were rooted in a rich Oral Tradition. What does that mean exactly, you may ask? Oral Tradition is the collective way that Indigenous peoples remembered and kept historical records, languages, cultures and identities alive for thousands of years. Nations, communities and families transmitted knowledge through songs, stories, ceremonies, historical recountings and teachings. When you think about it, that’s an incredible amount of information that has been, and continues to be, remembered and shared as a collective.Elders and Knowledge Keepers continue to take on the responsibility and honour of being part of the living memory of their communities. Each generation is like a link in a chain that connects the past to the future and back again.
Stop 9 - Agreements & Treaties - Honouring Relationships
We’ve come to the last stop on our tour today. Please have a seat in one of the Red Chairs. At Parks Canada, the Red Chairs are intended for people to connect to their surroundings, the land and to each other. It seems fitting then that at this stop we pause to reflect upon the longstanding relationships, agreements and Treaties that took place on these shores and what they mean today.Agreements were regularly reaffirmed through ceremonies, feasts and stories, part of a collective remembering of the terms and conditions of these agreements. For Indigenous nations, these agreements and Treaties were, and still are, understood as being tied to the land, just as much as they are tied to people — mino-bimaadiziwin (or living life well) for ALL our relations.We learned at our previous stops that, for thousands of years, Indigenous peoples’ ancestors who gathered at The Forks created and honoured agreements and treaties as sacred promises. Leaders were well versed in diplomacy and were experienced negotiators and orators. Ethics and protocols existed on how Treaties were made, honoured and remembered. Indigenous representatives who stood and witnessed these alliances passed down this knowledge to the descendants of Indigenous nations today.Ceremonies and celebrations, like the pipe ceremony, feasting, songs, drumming, dancing and gift giving were ways to collectively remember and honour agreements that were made and then remade.
For more information and further reading
We have come to the end of our tour, but it’s easy to continue your learning journey!In fact, there’s an option nearby. Check out the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba’s Agowiidiwinan Centre near the Forks Market.Want some at-home resources? Check out the links below!
Comment card
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