Algonquin First Nations are asking the NCC for a monument such as this one in Confederation Park to honour late spiritual leader William Commanda.
Local aboriginal leaders are calling on the federal government for a more permanent tribute to the late Algonquin elder William Commanda as part of a broader demand for public recognition of current and historical contributions of First Nations to Canada’s development.
Internationally recognized for his teachings on peace, tolerance and respect for the Earth, Commanda spent his life promoting an intercultural understanding aimed at raising awareness of the traditions and legacies of aboriginal people, says his granddaughter, Claudette Commanda.
In 2008, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his work.
Meeting with the National Capital Commission in late September to examine better ways to address aboriginal concerns, indigenous leaders expressed dismay in the lack of public awareness of First Nations traditions and culture in the capital region.
Commanda, a law professor at the University of Ottawa and executive director of the First Nations Cultural Centre, agrees.
“When you are in the ancestral territory of a particular nation, you need to see the history and the culture being expressed and honoured in and on the land,” she says.
The FNCC is part of a national organization of aboriginal cultural centres that focus on the revitalization of First Nations languages, culture retention and traditional knowledge.
“This is not right. We need to build an awareness that there are First Peoples here . . . and we have a rich and proud heritage and culture and history to share with everyone,” she says.
There are currently four monuments in the region that recognize aboriginal history, according to an NCC publication on public art.
Two of the landmarks are traditional, hand-carved totem poles, located at Rideau Hall and Confederation Park respectively.
Confederation Park is also home to the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument, honouring First Nations involvement in the Armed Forces.
First Nations are also recognized as part of the Valiants memorial, with a bust of Joseph Brant, a Mohawk war chief.
Another monument is a tribute to the Anishinabe scouts who guided Samuel de Champlain.
Commanda wants more permanent, public tributes like these. She says she wants the City of Ottawa and NCC officials to create a landmark in honour of her grandfather, who died in August at the age of 97.
This could be a statue, or a renaming of a street or park in his name. Some suggestions include Wellington Street, Jacques Cartier Park in Gatineau and Victoria Island, situated in the Ottawa River near Parliament Hill.
Naming a monument after her grandfather is not the only commemoration Commanda says she would like to see.
She wants his dream of building an Algonquin healing centre on Victoria Island to come true. The centre would be named after him, she suggests.
It is one idea the NCC is willing to consider, says Sandra Pecek, its director of public affairs and information management.
“The NCC has that in our plans,” she says. “For Victoria Island, the proposal is to dedicate it to aboriginal people . . . It’s a question about funding to be able to do a project of that scope . . . but we certainly feel it’s a good idea.”
The NCC owns Victoria Island, but the property is under an unresolved land claim filed in 1985 by the Algonquin First Nations with the Ontario government. Commanda admits this could stall any tribute to her grandfather.