Rotary Champlain Wendat Walking Tour brings history to life

The legacy of the 400th anniversary of Franco-Ontarian history in Penetanguishene (1615 to 2015) lives on through the numerous bronze sculptures in the Rotary Champlain Wendat Park.

Those interested in the history can take part in a Rotary Champlain Wendat Talking Tours offered by the Penetanguishene Centennial Museum and Archives.

Village Media went on the July evening walk, led by museum curator Nicole Jackson, along with a group of seven participants.

"I think it went well. The group was engaged and asked a lot of questions," Jackson said afterwards. “This one is a lot of information and a lot of symbolism in the statues that we have."

Jackson says most people attracted to the walk are either doing their own genealogy, learning about their ancestry, or just interested in the French and First Nations history of the area.

"It's for people that want to know more about our history," she said.

The first stop is a central area with four boulders, each with a bronze relief sculpture, around a stone turtle, representing Turtle Island.

The sculptures were created by artist Travis Fauvelle, in consultation with the Huron Wendat. The four reliefs have double meaning. They represent the four Indigenous nations of the Huron Wendat confederacy and the four different elements — land, water, wind and fire.

Penetanguishene is an Indigenous name, meaning land of the rolling sands.

"We are proud of our Indigenous name," Jackson said.

The dominant sculpture in the park, built for the 400th anniversary celebration in 2015, is the sculpture of French explorer Samuel de Champlain with Chief Aenon, purposely built to show the two men as equals, unlike other sculptures of Champlain where he is represented in a dominant position.

Champlain came to the region in an effort to forge an alliance with the Wendat. He was fighting the English, who had an alliance with the Iroquois, now referred to as the Haudenosaunee.

“So he wanted a trade alliance with the Wendat. So he would not have come in like I’m here to conquer you. He would have come in more humble and at peace, otherwise, they wouldn’t speak to him," said Jackson. “So the intention from the beginning was about trade. It was not about conquering and that is what this statue represents."

The statue was created by sculptor Timothy Schmalz of St. Jacobs, in the Waterloo area. Several other sculptures in the park are also made by Schmalz. He also created the Gordon Lightfoot sculpture in Orillia's Tudhope Park and he is famous for his sculptures of the Homeless Jesus lying on a bench.

The sculpture shows Chief Aenon handing over a wampum belt.

“That was a key element that the Wendat wanted included in the sculpture,” she said.

The sculpture includes exactly 400 maple leaves to represent 400 years and there is a lot more symbolism built into it including the important of women in First Nations' culture and the important of God in the European culture.

But, Champlain wasn't the first Frenchman to come to the region.

That title goes to Étienne Brûlé, who worked for Champlain and came to the area in 1610 to see if the Wendat would be favourable to a trade alliance. There is a Schmalz sculpture of Brûlé in the park, too.

"He loved the Wendat," said Jackson.

The Jesuits who arrived didn't speak well of him as is recounted in their diaries. Brûlé later betrayed the French and he was killed in 1633.

In 2016, there was a closing ceremony of the 400th year of Franco-Ontarian history held in Penetanguishene. To mark the occasion, Heritage Ontario erected a standing plaque in the park, originally to be written in French on one side and English on the other side.

But, Jackson noted that as the Truth and Reconciliation Report came out in December 2015, the government realized they had to right a number wrong toward the Indigenous community with Heritage Ontario opting to add two more standing plaques with script in languages from the four Indigenous peoples Champlain came across.

After consultation with elders from the Indigenous communities, translations were received. Plaques now also represent the Mohawk (including Haudenosaunee), Wendat,  Anishinabe (including Ojibwe and Algonquin) and Montagnais-Innu.

The tour ends with the sculpture of John Graves Simcoe holding a telescope. Simcoe negotiated the first treaty in 1793 with the Chippewa to attain a large swath of land, including where the Naval Establishments were built.

Claudette Akerman, of Midland, took part in the walk and says she has a historical Indigenous link.

“I’m always learning about our culture and I’m learning the Anishinabe language,” Akerman said. “Nicole's talk was exceptional. There is so much more than just reading the plaque.”

There will be a Downtown Walking Tour on July 25 another Rotary Champlain Wendat Walking Tour on Aug. 16 both from 6-7:30 p.m. Cost is $7 for adults and free for children aged 12 and under.

Tours can also be arranged for groups.

For more information, contact or visit the 13 Burke Street museum at 705-549-2150. Registration can be taken online at penetanguishene.ca/museum.