How can we help students fully grasp the historical and contemporary presence of Indigenous Nations in what are now urban settings?
Might our students understand Indigenous presence and influence differently if they aware of local archeological sites?
One of the most prominent historical sites in Toronto that I had previously heard of was Teiaiagon which was located at what is currently Baby Point. Teiaiagon was a Seneca village located near the Humber River in the 16th Century. Some information about the relationships between the Seneca and the Mississauga in Southern Ontario is in this article from Talking Treaties. I also found this article from Talking Treaties, focused on the overlapping histories of Toronto, helpful.
Here are links to learn more about Teiaiagon
What I did not realize that there were six other Haudenosaunee villages around the same time located on the north side of Lake Ontario. You can learn more about Teiaiagon and these other six villages through this Wikipedia Article.
One of the villages was Ganatsekwyagon which was located in present day Rouge Park (search Bead Hill on Google Maps and the marker is there, though the site is not open to the public).
Here are links to learn more about Ganatsekwyagon
Finally, if you are interested to learn more about these villages, The History and Archaeology of the Iroquois du Nord edited by Ronald F. Williamson and Robert von Bitter looks promising but I have not received my copy yet.
Bonus for aspiring Archaeologists! Click HERE to read an article by Stacy Taylor, an Anishinaabekwe archaeologist about the unique roles and responsibilities of an Indigenous archaeologist.