Indigenous Peoples have used the Detroit River and the Great Lakes as a principal means of travel, resource gathering and trade for more than 6,000 years. The oldest artifacts in this area date back 10 - 12 thousand years. Today, the Detroit River is one of the busiest international crossings in North America and of extreme economic importance.

Images Courtesy of: Museum Windsor, Windsor Public Library

Did you know that the name “Canada” likely comes from the Huron-Iroquois word “kanata,” meaning “village” or “settlement"?

The Windsor-Detroit area was known by the Anishinaabemowin name ‘Wawiiatanong’, meaning ‘curve’ pertaining to the curve of the River. Interestingly, the French named the area ‘Le Detroit’, meaning ‘the strait’.

Images Courtesy of: Windsor Public Library

Fort Malden was one of the most important strategic locations of the War of 1812. Here Major General Sir Isaac Brock and Shawnee Leader Tecumseh joined forces and chose Fort Malden as their base of operations for the attack on Fort Detroit. Brigadier General Hull, commander at Fort Detroit, was fearful an attack from native warriors swooping down upon the civilian population of Detroit. Brock and Tecumseh were able to capitalize this fear by convincing Hull that their ranks included 5,000 of Tecumseh's native warriors - far more than they actually had. General Hull surrendered Fort Detroit without resistance.

Images Courtesy of: Fort Malden National Historic Site & Marsh Historical Collection

Walpole Island First Nation community members contributed to the archaeological and natural heritage investigations for the Parkway, and have played an important role in restoration and species at risk transplanting efforts. Through community led Ecosystem Circles, opportunities to integrate First Nation culture into the aesthetic and small scale public art elements of the Parkway landscape and urban design were identified.

The turtle sculpture, designed by Walpole Island artist Teresa Altiman, is a reference to Aboriginal mythology. Ojibway creation stories describe North America as Turtle Island: A rock on the back of a giant turtle. In addition to the turtle sculpture, the Herb Gray Parkway Trail is decorated by animal totems.

Cree Code Talkers were an elite unit tasked with developing a coded system based on the Cree language for disguising military intelligence for Allied communications during World War II. Their contributions remained hidden until recently, but their service helped to protect Western Allies and to win the war. The Allies’ enemies were never able to break the code.

Images from: Kingsville Military Museum

Be sure to visit the exhibit on the Aboriginal Contributions to the War of 1812, and the Heritage Native Gardens. The Gardens are home to many species of plants, trees and shrubs used as Indigenous medicines. The Maidstone Bicentennial Museum also showcases a small 3 Sister Garden complete with the 3 Sister Legend. The Three Sisters are corn, beans, and squash, and have been planted by traditional Native American gardeners in many different regions of North America. These three plants form a companion planting ecosystem where each plant helps the others grow.

Images & Information Courtesy of: Maidstone Bicentennial Museum

For a limited time, see The Witness Blanket. Inspired by a woven blanket, the Witness Blanket is a large-scale work of art. It contains hundreds of items reclaimed from residential schools, churches, government buildings and traditional and cultural structures from across Canada.

Be sure to visit the permanent exhibits including the Original Peoples Culture and Legacy Gallery revealing the culture, heritage, and contemporary issues of the local First Nations and Métis communities. Features include: Creation Stories, Treaties, Residential Schools and 60’s Scoop, Language Revitalization, Missing and Murdered Women, Medicine Wheel teachings, and Cultural Expressions. Also on exhibit is the sculpture depicting Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, carved by Neil Cox.

Built as a fur-trading post in 1798 for Alexander Duff, the Duff-Baby Mansion's purpose was to trade furs in exchange for goods with Voyageurs and Indigenous People of the region. Later, during the War of 1812, the Mansion hosted Shawnee Leader Tecumseh at a strategic planning meeting with the British military in the fall of 1813, just prior to British retreat and the Battle of the Thames in wich Tecumseh was killed.

Information Courtesy of: Les Amis Duff-Baby & Museum Windsor

Visit the Francois Baby House: It was occupied by American Brigadier General William Hull shortly after the outbreak of the War of 1812, and later used as headquarters for the British forces in the same war. The François Baby House has been designated as a National Historic Site of Canada and, houses permanent galleries on Francophone Heritage and the War of 1812.

Be sure you don’t miss the Tecumseh Flag. It was reputedly used to shroud the body of Shawnee Leader Tecumseh upon his death at the Battle of the Thames in 1813.

Images Courtesy of: Museum Windsor & C.L. Menard at City of Windsor Cultural Affairs Archive

Named after the Ojibway (Ojibwe) Peoples. The majority of Southwestern Ontario is their modern traditional territory. They are part of the Algonquin language family and originally migrated to the Great Lakes area from north-eastern North America. The Ojibwe language is one of the most commonly spoken by Aboriginal Peoples. The Ojibway are allied with the Odawa (Ottawa) and Bodaywadami (Pottawatomi) who together form the Three Fires Confederacy.

While you are here, don't miss a visit to "The Stoneman", an impressive inunnguaq. Designed and donated by Pete Letkeman in 2009, this stone sculpture was designed as a tribute “to island perseverance” and is surrounded by smaller inukshuk. For generations, Inuit have been creating these stone markers to aid in navigation & travel routes, to denote a warning, to assist hunters or to mark a place of reverence. Inukshuk continue to serve as an Inuit cultural symbol and can be seen on the flag of Nunavut.

Images Courtesy of: Pelee Island Heritage Centre

Point Pelee National Park recognizes they are on the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, comprised of the Ojibwa, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi. Specifically, this is the home of Caldwell First Nation, and part of the house of Walpole Island First Nation. They acknowledge the caregivers of this land and all the moccasins that have travelled it over time.

Archeological evidence indicates that First Nations had summertime settlements around Point Pelee’s marsh as early as 600 CE. The marsh’s aquatic life and wild rice provided them with food, as did the deer in the forest and the nuts from the black walnut and butternut trees.

Images Courtesy of: Point Pelee National Park & Museum Windsor
Information From: Point Pelee National Park

The Odawa (Ottawa) chief Pontiac was born around 1720 somewhere along the Detroit River. By the 1760’s, he was an influential leader in the Detroit area through the Seven Years War -also know as the French and Indian War (1754-1763).

In 1761, the British built a fort in Ohio, despite assurances that no forts would be built in the area. Resentment grew further due to restrictions put on access to gunpowder an ammunition. By April of 1763, Pontiac swore destruction of the British. In may of 1763, he led a surprise uprising against the British at Detroit, which failed when the British learned of the attack. He and his forces later returned and laid siege to Fort Detroit.

Pontiac gathered members of the Potawatomi, Huron, Ojibwe, and Odawa nations, among others, to prepare a coordinated attack on multiple British Forts – including Detroit. These attacks are known as Pontiac’s War. The Siege of Fort Detroit was a five-month long siege in the summer and fall of 1763. While his siege on Detroit failed, many of the attacks made on other regional outposts by members of this alliance did succeed.

Canoes have a rich history across diverse cultures worldwide, but it's the Algonquin who are intimately linked with the iconic birch bark canoe style we recognize today. Renowned for their lightweight construction, these canoes were remarkably portable, facilitating easy portage, yet capable of bearing loads many times their own weight. However, their delicate nature meant that even a minor misstep could spell disaster, risking damage or submersion. In this region, canoes played a pivotal role as vital modes of transportation for exploration and trade, particularly during the fur trade era. Serving as the primary means of conveyance, they navigated the intricate waterways that crisscross Canada, effectively functioning as highways that enabled travel across its expansive distances.

Totem poles are monuments created by First Nations of the Pacific Northwest to represent and commemorate ancestry, histories, people, or events. They are built to be visible within a community. Most totem poles display beings or animals that mark a family’s lineage. They document stories and histories of communities or family members.

Take a moment to admire the sculpture at the Sandwich Towne roundabout down the street of Shawnee Chief Tecumseh and British military leader General Isaac Brock. They were pivotal figures in this area during the War of 1812, and were important not only to the history of Sandwich Town, but to the history of Canada. The two men had a historical meeting in Amherstburg in 1812 where they planned an attack on the Americans at Fort Detroit. Their ingenious plan took advantage of American General Hull’s fear of an attack by First Nations warriors, creating the illusion of a much larger army than what they actually had. Tecumseh and Brock were able to capture Fort Detroit in this major victory for the British.

Tecumseh, Shawnee War Chief was a charismatic leader, an orator and a respected war chief of the Shawnee Peoples of Ohio. He was born in 1768, and by 1799, he was made spokesman in great councils in Ohio. In 1811, Tecumseh tried to negotiate with the American government to stop western expansion into native lands. He formed a confederacy of native tribes and represented their interests. In June 1812, Tecumseh arrived at Fort Malden in Amherstburg to join his cause with the British in the War of 1812. Tecumseh’s vision for a Confederacy of Native Peoples to stand united was pivotal in the defense of British in the War of 1812.

In the War of 1812 he joined British forces for the capture of Detroit and the invasion of Ohio. After the loss of the Battle of Lake Erie, the entire western peninsula of Upper Canada was in danger of falling into enemy hands. Major General Henry Procter decided to retreat up the River Thames. It was in the Battle of the Themes, on October 5, 1813, that Tecumseh was killed. His body was carried from the field and buried secretly.

Images Courtesy of: Lossings Pictoral Field Book & C.L. Menard at City of Windsor Cultural Affairs Archive

Part of an ancient network of native paths, the Great Sauk Trail extended from Rock Island in present-day Illinois to the Detroit River. It played a significant role in the communications between the native peoples in the Upper Mississippi Valley and the British in this region, particularly following the American Revolution. For four decades, pro-British tribes made annual pilgrimages along the trail to Fort Malden. Here they met with British officials and participated in gift-giving ceremonies reaffirming their alliance.

The Amherstburg area was once the home of the Wyandotte, Huron, Neutrals, and Petuns who were dispersed by the Iroquois in the 1640’s. Some eventually reunited and settled along the Detroit River, where they became known as the Hurons of Detroit, or Wyandotte. After the fall of New France, the Wyandotte became supporters of the British during the American Revolution although many remained neutral in the War of 1812.

Images Courtesy of: Marsh Historical Collection