Culture old

The Land Between is Great Spirit Country

A journey across it is a sacred journey from east to west from time immemorial. It is a meeting place and a place of many ideas and perspectives. It represents the spirit of survival and resilience.

The Mayans once said that the state of the Land is reflected in the state of the Mind and that the state of the Mind is reflected in the state of the Land. The landscape and its resources are the foundation for how people live and perceive themselves, and conversely, our attitudes and behaviours affect the land.

Along with the abundance and diversity of nature in The Land Between, this place also has a very rich and extraordinary cultural heritage. The openness and navigability of the land made it a ready travel route: Indigenous Nations used it as a key east-west corridor and early visitors and settlers chose this route to travel from Lake Ontario to reach the Ottawa river, including during the war of 1812. Champlain himself traversed it - he was lead by Mississauga leaders across the region from the Ottawa valley through Paudash Lake and south to the Black River towards Lake Huron.

This ancient route is also an ancient and sacred journey that is marked by the Pictographs and Petroglyphs. They are the largest collection of glyphs in Canada. They communicate the sacred Teachings from the Creator and outline the walk or journey through life with Creator. They are living testimonies to the relationship that First Nations have held with Creator since time immemorial. These Teachings and this relationship with Creator are honoured today.

You can learn more about what makes The Land Between a place of rich cultural importance below.

Manna and Medicines

It has been said by Indigenous Elders that to live here was to know two worlds and that people had to be smarter but were also richer for it. If medicines were missing from the south in one region, their counterpart could be found in the north.

The land, being open, supported hunting, and being strewn with waterways and lakes held an ancient fishing economy. Here, the American Eel, now extirpated, was within its northernmost range limit, and was a plentiful resource providing both food and tools. Learn about the American Eel.

Many of the names for lakes and landscape features are in Aanishinaabemowin (Ojibwa) still today, demonstrating through their meanings the knowledge and relationships that Indigenous Nations hold with this land.

Traditional Territory

The landscape is part of the the Traditional Territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabek - this vast area was always stewarded and looked after. During the settlement "south of the border" the Haudenesaunee whose Territory was found south of Lake Ontario, and also the Wendat were pushed north. Aaniishinaabek Mississauga shared this land with their cousins under special Treaties.

After Europeans arrived Treaties were also enacted which embodied the understandings and responsibilities to care for each-other and for the land. See Curve Lake First Nation's official backgrounder on the Treaties of this Territory and The Summary of the Royal Proclamation: Mitchi Saagii Territory history and the Making of Canada

Relationships and Creativity

Indigenous Nations and peoples still honour their Traditional Teachings through their culture of sharing. Despite, the abuses endured, they still generously share invaluable knowledge and Teachings to their Treaty neighbours and extend kindness. Indigenous knowledge and ways of being are a guiding light in North America, and are fundamental to conservation.

To visit a Reserve or contact the Curve Lake First Nation cultural centre in The Land Between, or to learn about the peoples, covenants and treaties that are the foundation and heritage of this landscape see Treaties

After the Immigration company of Canada invited settlement in these "back lands", the lack of agricultural opportunities meant that many Europeans retreated to the south. This left many abandoned villages, whose shadows can be seen in ghost towns, ruins, or remnants. However, those that stayed were resilient and persevering. They were beneficiaries of Indigenous knowledge, and learned to survive in this starker landscape. These were creative peoples and "jacks of all trades". This resilience is evidenced in the current creative economy where The Land Between boasts the highest percentage of entrepreneurs for its population, than anywhere else in the province.

A Creative Economy

The Land Between is an economic and cultural asset for residents in local and nearby towns and for seasonal residents and visitors from cities 1½ to 2 hours’ drive away– Greater Toronto Area, Barrie, Kingston and Ottawa. Few metropolitan areas in the world have such large and entire natural wonders so close by. Tourist resorts and services for cottagers are central to local economies. Cottages are the dominant settlement type in The Land Between. Very few villages or hamlets dot the landscape and are mostly along the edges of the region, and in many municipalities, the number of seasonal residents far outnumbers permanent ones.

Statistics Canada indicates that 50% of the permanent residents in The Land Between are over the age of 50. Numbers of commuters and retirees moving to the area are on the rise.

Both residents and visitors use the area for the vast range of nature-based recreational activities that an area of this quality offers. Indeed, this is the culture of The Land Between. Industries secondary to tourism and recreation involve public services and construction. The thin soil and exposed rock made The Land Between primarily unproductive for farming and not very good for forestry. Some mining is conducted in the east half of the region and quarries operate in the west. Therefore, the most important economic and social activities today (i.e. tourism for visitors and services for cottagers) depend on maintaining the natural characteristics of The Land Between.

Stemming from a spirit of creativity and resilience, the settlers are hearty and jack of all trades- they are innovative and entrepreneurial, so that with the limited roads and industry, even today the small dispersed communities that dot the landscape have a primarily creative economy. The Land Between has a rich density of artisans, crafts people, and small business owners with a multitude of wares and services. Individuals with diverse skills, hardiness, and bravery. Their economy and trades more often have a direct relationship with the natural landscape and the resources of the land than may be found in most places in southern Ontario. This economy is part of The Land Between's culture and is founded on The Land Between's Natural Environment.

Appreciation and Arts

A growing appreciation of the splendor of the region grew, and its close proximity to large urban settled areas made it an easy recreational destination. As new roads were driven through the landscape, access for recreation and pleasure also grew — summer camps, resorts, cottaging, guiding, lead to a new way of relating to and appreciating the landscape.

Today, The Land Between today continues to be a meeting place of practices and perspectives; of the urban and the rural; the hunter and the non-hunter; of Liberal and Conservative; and of First Nation and Settler.

Explore the cultural spaces of the Land Between here

Explore the differences and similarities between these worlds. Watch our new documentary My First Shot

Archaeological, cultural and anthropological studies, chronicles and research are posted on our Science and Discoveries page

The Land Between Cultural Projects

The Land Between Documentary Series

Explore this spectacular region through The Land Between Documentary series, produced by the charity and the Ontario Visual Heritage Project, a not-for-profit promoting and preserving the history of Ontario's communities. Preview some of the series below!

Series Introduction

Watch series clips

Purchase the series DVDs

My First Shot Documentary

The Land Between is a meeting place of Liberal and Conservative, of City and Country, of Settler and Indigenous, and of Non-hunter and Hunter.

Meet Erin Carmody. She has degrees in Environmental Science and Psychology, was a former vegan, grew up in Los Angeles and now lives in Toronto. She cottages in The Land Between. We sent Erin hunting to explore differences and also what unites us in our unscripted documentary.

Watch now

The Land Between Land Stories Map

Land Stories is a web mapping application that shares the history of the unique region within Land Between through a collection of stories. The Land Between is where the Canadian Shield meets the St. Lawrence Lowlands, has been home to Indigenous peoples for thousands of years and is an area that proved extremely challenging to European settlement. The map displays over 180 stories that were gathered by volunteers and emphasizes both the Indigenous and European history in the region.

The map has 12 layers which contain different information about the Land Between and its history. Each layer can be toggled on and off using the layers bar. The layers consist of the bioregion boundary, Indigenous Place Names, Route of Samuel de Champlain, Treaties in the bioregion, and much more! Click on any of the features to the bottom right of the map and it will reveal key locations. The application also provides directions if you need help locating a place!

Please note that the Land Between charity is an organization whose goals are to engage the public in connecting, caring and conserving nature. Therefore, while the landscape encompasses these Indigenous stories and spaces, while we have Indigenous representation on our Council, and while we undertake Indigenous focused projects, we do not represent any First Nations or their territories, nor do we speak for any First Nation. Instead, we hope to continue and expand our partnerships with First Nations, and our engagement and honouring of the Nations across this region, as we build capacity.