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Indigenous Toronto: Stories That Carry This Place
Rich and diverse narratives of Indigenous Toronto, past and present
Beneath many major North American cities rests a deep foundation of Indigenous history that has been colonized, paved over, and, too often, silenced. Few of its current inhabitants know that Toronto has seen twelve thousand years of uninterrupted Indigenous presence and nationhood in this region, along with a vibrant culture and history that thrives to this day.
With contributions by Indigenous Elders, scholars, journalists, artists, and historians, this unique anthology explores the poles of cultural continuity and settler colonialism that have come to define Toronto as a significant cultural hub and intersection that was also known as a Meeting Place long before European settlers arrived.
This book is a reflection of endurance and a helpful corrective to settler fantasies. It tells a more balanced account of our communities, then and now. It offers the space for us to reclaim our ancestors' language and legacy, rewriting ourselves back into a landscape from which non Indigenous historians have worked hard to erase us. But we are there in the skyline and throughout the GTA, along the coast and in all directions. -- from the introduction by Hayden King
Beneath many major North American cities rests a deep foundation of Indigenous history that has been colonized, paved over, and, too often, silenced. Few of its current inhabitants know that Toronto has seen twelve thousand years of uninterrupted Indigenous presence and nationhood in this region, along with a vibrant culture and history that thrives to this day.
With contributions by Indigenous Elders, scholars, journalists, artists, and historians, this unique anthology explores the poles of cultural continuity and settler colonialism that have come to define Toronto as a significant cultural hub and intersection that was also known as a Meeting Place long before European settlers arrived.
This book is a reflection of endurance and a helpful corrective to settler fantasies. It tells a more balanced account of our communities, then and now. It offers the space for us to reclaim our ancestors' language and legacy, rewriting ourselves back into a landscape from which non Indigenous historians have worked hard to erase us. But we are there in the skyline and throughout the GTA, along the coast and in all directions. -- from the introduction by Hayden King
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 13, 2021
55 people are currently reading
523 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
May 9, 2022
LOVED this book and highly recommend it! I just moved to Toronto and this was the perfect gift my brother gave me. It took me a while to read because I wanted to savour it! (And never seem to have time to read anymore...) I grew up in Guelph visiting the Six Nations of the Grand River on different school trips, and it was so amazing to learn more about them and the Mississaugas of the Credit and other nations who have lived here, as well as people who have moved here from other lands!
I learned so much and also confirmed some things I did know already, which was fantastic. I love Falen Johnson on Unreserved and The Secret Life of Canada (both CBC podcasts) and when I turned the page to one of Falen's plays I was so excited to read it!
Also after reading one if the final chapters, I was so excited to visit the Haudenosaunee village site along the Humber River, near where I now live, and just feel how old the land is. Thank you to the authors and contributers for sharing these stories!
I learned so much and also confirmed some things I did know already, which was fantastic. I love Falen Johnson on Unreserved and The Secret Life of Canada (both CBC podcasts) and when I turned the page to one of Falen's plays I was so excited to read it!
Also after reading one if the final chapters, I was so excited to visit the Haudenosaunee village site along the Humber River, near where I now live, and just feel how old the land is. Thank you to the authors and contributers for sharing these stories!
August 6, 2022
Artifacts may only be remnants left behind by the people who went before us, but to me, holding an artifact is like shaking hands with the ancestors. They are teachers, who have their own stories of how they were created, utilized, and sometimes, discarded.Ah, all those great voices! This was a pretty comprehensive collage of the history and present day of Indigenous lives in Toronto the (Sorta) Good. I loved every single voice here as each one came alive. I was hesitant to bother with the book at all because the cover art makes it look like a middle school reader, but picked it up after seeing a review mentioning an interview with Tomson Highway. That interview was great, as I expected but I also loved each of the other voices too. I’d never heard of Dr. O before so that particular history was a treat. It was also important to hear the background story of an individual who no longer has a university named after him - crucial reading. My only suggestion is that placing the glossaries immediately after the stories and recollections that included those words would have been so much easier than making the reader root around the back of the book to find them. Same-page footnotes would have been welcome too.
- from “An Indigenous Archaeologist at Rouge National Urban Park” by Stacey Taylor
Highly recommended reading.
I come from paradise. Our summers were so spectacular and so filled with love. My parents had the best life imaginable.
- from “Tomson Highway and the Language of Laughter” by Denise Bolduc
September 30, 2021
An incredibly diverse collection, running the gamut from memoir, to anthropology, to history, to drama. Some pieces resonated more than others—for this settler reader, at least—but I could see my favourites changing on a second readthrough.
I hope that this is the start of (or part of) a literary-historical trend for other major North American cities.
I hope that this is the start of (or part of) a literary-historical trend for other major North American cities.
March 20, 2022
Such a great collection of essays, interviews, and more! If you’re really looking to read up on Indigenous history in Canada, specifically Toronto, then pick this invaluable book up now!
December 27, 2021
It takes a long time to finish a book when you keep re-reading every chapter. So many incredible stories and story-tellers!!! So many people that influence the city we now call Toronto. Such a rich history and current vibrant culture.
March 4, 2022
Offerings from various times, places and points of view. A good collection. Very interesting.
October 11, 2022
As with all history, this was a slow read for me. But considering the content I knew it was important. Such a fascinating and enlightening read for someone who more recently made their home Toronto.
December 3, 2022
easily the most interest book i’ve read this year. i will be going back to this book so much, it re-ignited my love for this city (tho i hate the direction things have been going in lately).
June 12, 2021
Amazing book containing essays by many different Indigenous authors from Toronto. It made me want to explore the city more to go to some of the places mentioned in the book. I'm going to write a longer review on this book soon.
November 27, 2021
This book is an excellent "other view" of Toronto from the view that white immigrants such as myself generally see. As such, I recommend the book as an introduction and invitation to getting a fuller historic, geographic and demographic picture of the land area we call Toronto.
We get some of the original history of the area, but more importantly, or perhaps more richly , we get the personal life views of the many travellers of the First Nations through the Toronto area from before the colonialists, and up to the date of the book publishing. It's the people's stories of their life journeys that gives the book its life.
We get some of the original history of the area, but more importantly, or perhaps more richly , we get the personal life views of the many travellers of the First Nations through the Toronto area from before the colonialists, and up to the date of the book publishing. It's the people's stories of their life journeys that gives the book its life.
July 25, 2021
Finally getting round to posting on this…
Wow! This is a critically important title… Speaking with my retired Teacher-Librarian hat on…
I hope that there is, somewhere, a wealthy benefactor who is going to give a copy of this book to at least every school library in the GTA - but preferably every school teacher in the GTA - heck, across Canada - for them to have as an invaluable teaching resource.
Wow! This is a critically important title… Speaking with my retired Teacher-Librarian hat on…
I hope that there is, somewhere, a wealthy benefactor who is going to give a copy of this book to at least every school library in the GTA - but preferably every school teacher in the GTA - heck, across Canada - for them to have as an invaluable teaching resource.
July 15, 2024
A very useful and interesting anthology of the many indigenous voices in and around Toronto. The profiles range from chefs to broadcasters to historian and each is given ample room for either interviews or lengthy features. But where the book is most interesting is when it looks at overlooked or forgotten figures like Dr Oronhyatekha, a doctor who travelled the world and insisted on his native identity well over a hundred years ago when prejudices were much more open than today.
I think perhaps this one is a little too specialized for some, and at times it reads more like a textbook than something with a narrative running through it. But the information here is valuable and anyone interested in learning about the native histories in and around Toronto will enjoy it.
I think perhaps this one is a little too specialized for some, and at times it reads more like a textbook than something with a narrative running through it. But the information here is valuable and anyone interested in learning about the native histories in and around Toronto will enjoy it.
March 29, 2023
This book was a lot heavier than I had expected based on the cover. You know what they say... However I learned a lot and realized just how more there is to learn. One of my favourite quotes of one which I wish we heard more often in school. "... The 1992 Columbus Quincentenary - marking the date when Indigenous peoples discovered Europeans..." Thank you for that historical truth and correction! So many Indigenous peoples are on that difficult and often confusing journey to discover who they are. I wish I knew how to help, except for getting out of their way.
October 7, 2021
This is collection of stories written by 35 different Indigenous writers. They are all about Toronto, which was at one time known as Carrying Place. They come from different periods of time and from various directions. Some are sad. Some inspiring. All are interesting. In the last section were short biographies of each of the different contributors which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
October 29, 2021
This should be required reading for anyone who lives in or around Toronto. The topics this book covers are varied and the voices clear and rich as they tell the stories of this land. I am humbled by how much I did not know about the place I have lived almost my whole life and the people who have cared for it for thousands and thousands and THOUSANDS of years. A first step in learning for me.
November 18, 2021
Told in mostly first person vignettes, this is an intriguing and enlightening education of Indigenous history and present in and around Toronto. It provided me with a personal and real look into my hometown, through the lens of those truly connected to this land. In addition to what I learned reading it, it has also opened up other pathways to engage locally and/or learn more.
August 22, 2022
This is a significant read for any descendants of colonizers living in what we call Toronto. It is a beautiful collection of essays and personal contributions connected to the place many of us call home. We need to learn and unlearn our history. This book is a beautiful contribution on our way along that journey.
October 2, 2023
Very informative on how ignorant I am about the history of the city I live in! And I realize this only scratches the surface.
Around the middle, it was very focused on the 80s and 90s and also the arts, slightly addressing the changing landscape of the 2000s through now towards the end of the book.
I learned about a lot of Indigenous organizations from this book.
Around the middle, it was very focused on the 80s and 90s and also the arts, slightly addressing the changing landscape of the 2000s through now towards the end of the book.
I learned about a lot of Indigenous organizations from this book.
October 6, 2021
This is a really fantastic anthology situating Indigeneity right in the middle of the city that so many have a tendency to forget is still home to thousands of Indigenous people!! Great book!! I loved it!!
July 26, 2022
This books provides a really great understanding of Indigenous culture and the resistance movement in Toronto. Its full of foundational knowledge I think every Torontonian should know. It was interesting to read too as the essays are short and most are in a narrative style.
November 7, 2022
a book to recommend for anyone living in Tkoronto who wants to know more about the indigenous histories of this city. Covers a range of people both current and historical. So good to learn more about this city where I live and inspiring to hear about the work/fight of so many.
February 19, 2023
Really informative! I’ve been reading this on and off for a club on campus and it’s great! It’s a bit info-dumpy at times but other than that I would highly recommend, especially for residence of the GTA!
April 5, 2023
This is a fantastic collection of essays, interviews, excerpts of other texts and knowledge sharing of Indigenous histories and experiences specifically related to Toronto. Highly recommended reading.
November 22, 2021
Took me longer than usual to go through this book but I really enjoyed reading the stories, lives and histories of selected indigenous people and communities.
April 29, 2022
If you live in Toronto, I recommend reading this book.
July 3, 2022
so much to learn; writing styles make for a slow read
October 21, 2022
An important and diverse collection of stories, narrative, history and facts. Essential to understanding the rich indigenous heritage of Toronto, the meeting place
January 26, 2023
This book brings together different perspectives from the city of Toronto. Really interesting read!
March 28, 2023
It's extremely refreshing to learn about Toronto through various Indigenous perspectives. Very well done!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews