Indigenous History Month / Mois de l’histoire autochtone

  


 Sauvons la Falaise would like to recognize National Indigenous History Month

    There is ongoing discussion among scholars, historians, and archaeologists about where and when Indigenous groups may have lived in what is now Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Ville Saint-Pierre, particularly around the Saint-Jacques Escarpment.


Source: Souvenirs et mémoires Côte-des-Neiges Notre-Dame-de-Grâce et Outremont


    What we do know is that at the base of the Falaise Saint-Jacques once lay a lake: Otter Lake, also known as Little Saint-Pierre Lake. It is said to have once been the largest body of water on the Island of Montreal. It is believed that, prior to the arrival of Europeans, the lake’s shores were cultivated by Indigenous peoples and that the lake served as a travel route.

    There is still much to learn and perhaps to uncover...

    SLF volunteers look forward to continuing this journey. More importantly, we look forward to engaging further with Indigenous communities in the Greater Montreal area, to listen, learn, and better understand the gifts that the Falaise Saint-Jacques holds and may offer in return.

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Source: Souvenirs et mémoires Côte-des-Neiges Notre-Dame-de-Grâce et Outremont

    Sauvons la Falaise souhaite souligner le Mois national de l’histoire autochtone.


    Il y a un débat en cours parmi les universitaires, les historiens et les archéologues sur les lieux et les périodes où des groupes autochtones auraient pu vivre dans ce qui est aujourd’hui Notre-Dame-de-Grâce et Ville Saint-Pierre, en particulier autour de l’escarpement de Saint-Jacques.

    Ce que nous savons, c’est qu’au pied de la Falaise Saint-Jacques se trouvait autrefois un lac : le lac à la Loutre, aussi connu sous le nom de Petit lac Saint-Pierre. On dit qu’il aurait jadis été le plus grand plan d’eau de l’île de Montréal. On croit que, avant l’arrivée des Européens, les rives du lac étaient cultivées par des peuples autochtones et que le lac servait de voie de déplacement.



Source: Wikipedia

    Il reste encore beaucoup à apprendre et peut-être même à découvrir.

    Les bénévoles de SLF se réjouissent de poursuivre ce cheminement. Plus important encore, c’est avec plaisir et intérêt que nous continuerons à dialoguer avec les communautés autochtones de la région du Grand Montréal, d’écouter, d’apprendre et de mieux comprendre les dons que la Falaise Saint-Jacques recèle et pourrait offrir en retour.







 

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