The Gathering Space opens at The Forks

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This article was published 28/06/2021 (1778 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a new spot to gather and hold small ceremonies, concerts and celebrations at The Forks.

An official opening of the Gathering Space took place June 21, National Indigenous Peoples Day. Located within Niizhoziibean (formerly South Point), the Gathering Space will provide Winnipeggers the opportunity to reflect on the past and contemplate the future.

“It’s a place built on Ojibwe principles. This was the place in which we lived, we taught, and we shared for thousands of years,” Niigaan Sinclair, Indigenous curator of The Forks National Historical Site, told Canstar Community News.

At the heart of the space is the wiigiwaam, a lodge built by Indigenous leaders using traditional knowledge, tree poles from northern Manitoba and stones from the south.

“As Indigenous leaders raised this lodge, we found out that it’s like the first time that it’s been within the city limits, within an urban setting, for a really long time, because at one point it was banned,” said Clare MacKay, executive director of The Forks Foundation.

Sinclair said there have been lodges in Winnipeg before but they were always temporary pop-ups.

“This (the wiigiwaam at the Gathering Space) is a permanent establishment,” he said.

“This is meant to be a space for Indigenous peoples to come back to, and for marriages and for namings, and for youth groups from all different walks of life to come and be a part of it.”

There are also benches and tables (including one for ceremonial offerings), a fire pit, grandfather rocks, plants, and other traditional elements.

The Gathering Space project was led by The Forks Foundation and supported by major funders like The Winnipeg Foundation and the Manitoba 150 Host Committee. Nearly $3 million has been invested in the refurbishment of Niizhoziibean in the last three years.

Previous elements of the project included the installation of public artwork by KC Adams, Jaimie Isaac and Val Vint, refurbished pathways, and improved lighting.

The Niizhoziibean master plan will be completed with a bush gallery and learning circles, for which MacKay said The Forks Foundation is looking for funding and will begin next year.

She said they are considering installing a learning circle near The Forks’ organic waste compost machine, to teach children and youth about “greening our world.”

The Forks Foundation aims to create meaningful public spaces and programming.

“I think (Niizhoziibean) is a great example of that. We are a meeting place, and we have been for thousands of years. We look at honouring our history while also talking about our future, our collective future,” MacKay said.

“We’re a space that everybody comes to and it creates conversation, and I think projects like this … help lead to reconciliation, and that’s really an amazing thing for us to be able to bring.”

The Gathering Space will be open for bookings once public health orders allow for gatherings.