Snowy Owl
Retired in 2010, In Memoriam
Welcome to the Kawartha Lakes Spirit Walks
The educational content of the Kawartha Lakes Spirit Walks complements the First Nation component of the Ontario school curriculum.
You are invited to learn about the First Nation People that live in the Kawartha Lakes area. They arrived thousands of years before the Europeans and today we have the opportunity to experience and learn the culture.
We invite you to visit the different partners of the Kawartha Lakes Spirit Walks to discover the rich heritage of the aboriginal people who lived here over 10,000 years ago and continue to live here today.
The 240 mile route of the Trent-Severn Waterway winds north past the pastoral farmlands above the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario, through the granite outcroppings and pine-clad islands of the Kawartha Lakes to Georgian Bay. It is part of north-eastern inland waterways that were used centuries ago by native people and settlers in the discovery of North America.
The Petroglyphs (petro=rock; glyphs=carving) were carved by Algonkian-speaking Aboriginal people between 600 and 110 years ago. The shapes and figures had deep spiritual meaning to the carvers and people.
Imagine...
A special place where people came to talk to the spirits.
The Canadian Canoe Museum offers a variety of inclusive and experiential, curriculum-linked education programs for students from kindergarten to post-secondary level, as well as professional development for teachers. Primary students are invited to partake in our Paddle to the Sea experience, which engages young minds on the themes of Environment and Geography. We welcome junior and intermediate students to join us for Traditional Knowledge and Skills (an integrated Native Studies unit focusing on northern, western, central and eastern Aboriginal cultures as presented in our Origins Gallery) or Trappers and Traders (which puts students into the heart of the fur trade through costuming, role-playing and much more).
Secondary students are invited to come and explore The Evolution of an Idea (namely 'the canoe'), focusing on the technical aspect of the canoe, its development, and its many forms.
Curve Lake First Nation
This is a community where Native people live and local artists flourish and display their work.
Kawartha Lakes Spirit Walks
Participants and Content of the Kawartha Lakes Spirit Walks include:
Alderville First Nation
Lost Meadow Ojibwa Village
Serpent Mounds Park
Petroglyphs Provincial Park
The Canadian Canoe Museum
Curve Lake First Nation