Heather B.
Torontonian
The Return of Spring
After a long winter, what is more stimulating than celebrating the return of spring?
As a citizen of the Huron-Wendat Nation that was compelled to leave Huronia around 1649, I miss a heartbeat every time I set foot on our ancestors’ territory, which is now called “Toronto.”
Beyond the long highways, numerous skyscrapers and the immense mixed crowds, I dream and imagine what life was like when my ancestors were the absolute masters of this territory.
As an official representative of the Huron Wendat Nation with a mandate to represent our Nation in the promotion of knowledge, respect and protection of our many sacred sites, I have a profound sense that we are on the verge of knowing, after a long involuntary absence, a true renewal.
This was revealed in a recent unveiling of a commemorative plaque emphasizing the presence of an ancient Huron Wendat village on a new public school site in east Toronto. It is at places such as these that I rediscover my links to the deep past. Belonging to one’s clan of origin is an element of great pride in both today and in the past. I belong to the Wolf Clan, the protectors of the Eastern Door, and this artefact reminds me of my clan.
Of course, Huronia will never again be what it was. Yet, the great interest that these school children have toward my history and my present people encourages me to believe that the silence imposed by this long winter is now gone.