Maanjidowin: The Gathering Unveiled at Billy Bishop Airport

Visitors to Billy Bishop Airport will now be welcomed by a large-scale granite and bronze sculpture recognizing the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and their relationship to the land, air and water on which the airport now operates. The sculpture was created by David M. General, Mohawk Nation, Wolf Clan of the Six Nations, and was conceived and installed in partnership with the Mississaugas of the Credit.

Entitled Maanjidowin: The Gathering, the sculpture is more than 16-feet in length and features three mythical fishers – Makwa-Kwe (Bear), Nigig-Kwe (Otter) and Migizi-Kwe (Eagle) – who have come to the estuaries and islands along Toronto’s Lake Ontario shoreline to fish. The canoe in which the fishers sit is inscribed with words and symbols of significance to the Mississaugas of the Credit, including: The Medicine Wheel; the Seven Grandfather Teachings, which are guiding principles that provide the moral and cultural foundation of life; and poetry from the current Gimaa (Chief) R. Stacey Laforme. As indicated by inscribed arm tattoos, the creatures are all female, as females played a central role as custodians of cultural traditions surrounding water.

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