Explorers’ Edge is partnering with Hope Arises Project Inc. to recognize Canada’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
Hope Arises Project Inc. is an organization that fosters cultural understanding, builds meaningful reciprocal relationships, and promotes healing through Indigenous-led education, dialogue, and collaboration.
According to officials, the two organizations are working together to host Wiigwaasi Jiimaanke, a free 10-day event running from Sept. 28 to Oct. 9 at River Mill Park.
During the event, led by Algonquin master canoe builder and Knowledge Keeper Chuck Commanda, along with an apprentice and assistants, officials said community members will learn how to build a traditional Anishinaabe birchbark canoe.
Officials said the event culminates in a public birthing and naming ceremony and the ceremonial launch of the completed canoe on the Muskoka River.
The organization said the event aims at creating an immersive, living classroom where people can engage with teachings drawn from the Medicine Wheel, the Seven Grandfather Teachings, Anishinaabe Creation stories, language and ceremony, as well as the concept of “two-eyed seeing,” which brings together Indigenous and Western knowledge systems.
The canoe build event will coincide with the town’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation gathering on Sept. 30. As a result, officials said the day will feature a ceremonial opening with a Land Acknowledgement, smudging and a drum circle, followed by a commemorative walk through downtown Huntsville and more.
Officials said the initiative will also offer two special day-package experiences on Oct. 1 and 2, giving visitors an opportunity to engage more deeply with the stories, teachings and cultural significance surrounding the canoe build.
The organization said the first experience takes participants on a guided journey through the Misko-Aki: Confluence of Cultures exhibition at the Muskoka Discovery Centre in Gravenhurst.
Officials said the second experience, hosted at River Mill Park in Huntsville, begins with a drum circle led by Joyce Jonathan Crone, Founder and President of Hope Arises Project Inc., followed by an opportunity to spend time alongside Chuck Commanda as the Wiigwaasi Jiimaan takes shape.
The Day Package experiences are offered by donation, with advance registration required and limited spaces available. Details and registration are available through the Great Canadian Wilderness.
