Welcome to the Crane Gathering Space
The Crane Gathering Space is an Indigenous cultural feature located at the northern trailhead of the Credit Valley Trail (CVT) at Island Lake Conservation Area in Orangeville.
This space will help nurture connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, provide a space for ceremonial practices and unique recreational experiences. It will also serve as a publicly accessible site available for hosting innovative educational opportunities.
The inspiration for this space comes from the Ajijaak Dodem (Crane Clan). In Anishinaabe tradition, the Ajijaak is known as an ‘echo maker’ and is the speaker for the clans. Ajijaak is an announcer of things to come. The sandhill crane also uses Island Lake as a stopover site during its annual migration.
We invite you to learn with us and make connections to Indigenous culture, nature and heritage of the Credit River and surrounding valley lands.
About the Crane Gathering Space
The Crane Gathering Space was developed by the CVT Indigenous Roundtable, an Indigenous led committee made up of community representation from the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN), Cree and Huron-Wendat First Nations, in collaboration with CVC and CVT partners. It’s guided by the Indigenous Experience Plan, which aims to bring Indigenous culture and experiences to life along the trail.
Etiquette at the Crane Gathering Space
The appropriate and respectful use of the Crane Gathering Space was determined with considerate care, passed down from the Elders within the Indigenous Roundtable. Respect of the gathering space is of the utmost importance.
While visiting the park, please refer to the signage on-site which will indicate when the site is reserved.
Sacred Fire Pit
Use of the sacred fire pit is not be permitted without a booking.
All visitors with different backgrounds, cultures and ways of knowing are permitted to have their own sacred fires, if deemed appropriate with a Crane Gathering Space booking. The Indigenous Elders that developed the Crane Gathering Space want to offer this space for all nations to take part and honour their own ways of knowing.
Photography
No photography is permitted of an active sacred fire because the fire is the doorway to the “spirit world”. We abstain from taking pictures out of respect for the Ancestors.
Fishing and Adjacent Greenspace
There is no fishing permitted on the site except for visitors with a Crane Gathering Space booking.
All Island Lake Conservation Area visitors may use of the greenspace adjacent to the main gathering space in accordance with Conservation Area Visitor Rules.
Booking
The Crane Gathering Space and sacred fire pit, along with its adjacent waterfront greenspace will be available to book by Indigenous and non-Indigenous people for a variety of uses:
- Ceremony
- Personal
- Educational or school programming
- Community events
- Indigenous Organizations
All visitors interested in booking the Crane Gathering Space will be required to complete an eligibility inquiry request form so we can better understand the nature of your request. Some requests may not be deemed appropriate for the cultural significance of the space.
Bookings for the Crane Gathering Space will be available beginning in spring 2025.
Partners
CVC and partners have installed interpretive signage at the Crane Gathering Space at Island Lake Conservation Area. This project received Government of Canada support through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario). We also acknowledge the many community donations that made this project possible
Crane Gathering Space Interpretive Sign
Welcome to the Crane Gathering Space
The Crane Gathering Space was developed by the Credit Valley Trail Indigenous Roundtable. They are an Indigenous community group leading the work to create spaces and educational experiences that connect trail users with the Indigenous history of the Credit River, as well as current Indigenous cultural practices.
The inspiration for this space comes from the Ajijaak Dodem (Crane Clan). In Anishinaabe tradition, the Ajijaak is known as an ‘echo maker’ and is the speaker for the clans. Ajijaak is an announcer of things to come. The sandhill crane also uses Island Lake as a stopover site during its annual migration.
We invite you to learn with us and make connections to Indigenous culture, nature and heritage of the Credit River and surrounding valley lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Review frequently asked questions about the Crane Gathering Space.
Visitors to Island Lake Conservation Area can walk on the Crane Gathering Space and fishing weir. Use of the sacred fire pit is not permitted for non-ceremonial fires. There is no fishing permitted from the fishing weir except for visitors with a booking.
The Credit Valley Trail will be a continuous 100-kilometre pathway through the Credit River Valley – from the headwaters in Orangeville to Lake Ontario in Port Credit. It will connect people to the beauty of nature, rich cultural experiences, Indigenous heritage and values, and the sacred, sustaining waters of the Credit River.
Learn more about the Credit Valley Trail.
The Credit Valley Trail Indigenous Roundtable is an Indigenous led committee made up of community representation from the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Cree and Huron-Wendat First Nations.
CVC is committed to inclusive practices, engaging and partnering with Indigenous Nations, communities and people to advance Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation through our work.
We acknowledge that the land on which we gather, and the entire Credit River Watershed, is part of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. The Credit River Watershed is also part of the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and Haudenosaunee and home to many First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples today.
Through our conservation efforts, CVC strives to support meaningful engagement and respectful collaboration with Indigenous partners and with Indigenous communities – empowering Indigenous peoples to share and integrate their history, cultural practices and aspirations across the Credit River Watershed.
Along with the collective goal to connect the CVT trail route, CVC and CVT partners are committed to developing dedicated space along the trail to recognize and honour Indigenous knowledge, history and present-day culture.
Learn more about CVC’s commitment to engaging and partnering with Indigenous nations, communities and peoples.
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