Indigenous Walking Tours

From City Hall (110 Laurier Avenue West); Free

This bilingual walking tour (it was English only on my tour only because there weren’t any francophones who turned up on that day) starts at the Laurier Avenue entrance to City Hall and takes about 90 minutes to see some of the indigenous history in the Confederation Park area.  It’s a part of the “Unearthing our roots through Ottawa routes” program.  There were two women who guided us around Elgin Street to the Indigenous Veterans Memorial, an art display in a nearby office building, the Human Rights Monument and the Lost Child monument between City Hall and the Courthouse.

While I have to confess that my own interest is on the history, the inclusion of so much contemporary art is important particularly on this subject to act as a reminder that Indigenous people are not an historical phenomenon, but a living, breathing, modern part of the community. This is especially true in the tourism lens.   

You don’t need to be an expert, or even particularly interested in Indigenous issues to enjoy this walk.  I learnt a lot and the tour guides were very knowledgeable and approachable.  The only downside for me on this trip was that one of the tourists kept on piping in with their opinion rather than listening to the guides.  That was absolutely not the organisation’s fault.  When you meet strangers on a walk, you take your chances, I guess.  I recommend it to anyone learning about the city, it’s a side that you don’t normally see.  Very enjoyable and illuminating.