Muscle and Bone 
Muscle and Bone is a record of my walk through the Haldimand Tract in June 2016. As my first post suggests, I’m making this walk, this performance, because I want to know with my body, with my muscle and bone, the extent of the territory that has been stolen from the Haudenosaunee (or Six Nations) since the tract was reserved for them in 1784. I’m also asking people who use this blog to follow my journey through the Haldimand Tract to consider making a donation to the Woodland Cultural Centre’s “Save the Evidence” fundraising campaign. They’re raising money to restore the former Mohawk Institute in Brantford and to turn it into a museum about the residential-school experience.
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Dunnville to Port Maitland: The End of the Road, but Not the Journey
I didn’t think I was going to get any breakfast this morning. Nothing in Dunnville seemed to be open early on a Sunday. I detoured through the centre of town, hoping to find something. And I did: a diner, serving the usual diner breakfast (bacon and eggs, toast, coffee). Quite a surprise. Already the air … Continue reading Dunnville to Port Maitland: The End of the Road, but Not the Journey
Cayuga to Dunnville: A Walk Up River Road
For most of today’s 29 kilometres, I was on one road: River Road. It’s a quiet road on the south side of the Grand that winds along parallel to the river, through wood lots and beside fields of corn and winter wheat and strawberries. By quiet, I mean there’s little traffic, not that there’s nothing … Continue reading Cayuga to Dunnville: A Walk Up River Road
Dinner in Cayuga: Joy and Gratitude
When I talked to the faith keeper at Six Nations back in December, she told me to pray for gratitude and to look for joy in this walk. I’ve tried to do both things. I’ve experienced many moments of joy: seeing a cardinal in the trees, drinking cold water on a hot day, catching the … Continue reading Dinner in Cayuga: Joy and Gratitude
Caledonia to Cayuga: A Walk Beside the River
Dr. Shauneen Pete, a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina, has been posting lists of things she’s grateful for on Facebook. She’s inspired me to write a list of things I’m thankful for on this walk through the Haldimand Tract. 1. The weather. I’ve had sunny days and only a little … Continue reading Caledonia to Cayuga: A Walk Beside the River
Ohsweken to Caledonia: Journey to Kanonhstaton
I was worried about dogs today. You see, when I was at Six Nations back in December I saw a lot of dogs roaming free. I almost hit one that wandered out into the road in front of my car. But most of the dogs I saw today, or heard barking in the distance when … Continue reading Ohsweken to Caledonia: Journey to Kanonhstaton
Ohsweken: A Day of Rest
Today was my second day off this week. I’d tried to set up meetings with different people here at Six Nations, but they all fell through (although there’s a plan to meet with elders who know about the history of the Haldimand Tract in Brantford when my walk is finished). I didn’t mind, though, because … Continue reading Ohsweken: A Day of Rest
Brantford to Ohsweken: The Longest Walk
When I was walking yesterday, I decided to structure this blog post differently than the rest. I was still thinking about what I’d experienced the day before, during my tour of the Mohawk Institute building in Brantford: how walking through that building made me feel, what it made me think about. And how it convinced … Continue reading Brantford to Ohsweken: The Longest Walk
Brantford: Touring the Mohawk Institute
I didn’t walk today. I’m happy about that, because it was incredibly hot. I’m back on the road tomorrow, though, and I’m hoping that the weather forecast promising cooler temperatures is correct. In any case, by this time tomorrow night I’ll be at Six Nations. Tomorrow is, of course, National Aboriginal Day (I bet you didn’t think … Continue reading Brantford: Touring the Mohawk Institute
Paris to Brantford: Fish and A Walk Through a Fiery Furnace
I woke up early again, hoping to beat the heat–an impossibility, of course. I knew it was going to be hot, but the temperature was incredible. It was hot by nine o’clock. By noon, it was like walking through a furnace. I would’ve had to walk through the night if I was going to beat … Continue reading Paris to Brantford: Fish and A Walk Through a Fiery Furnace
What’s In the Pack?
My Facebook friend Charles Mandel wanted to know what I’m carrying on my pilgrimage through the Haldimand Tract–what’s in my pack. Pictured above is tonight’s pack explosion (because of course the thing I need is the thing that’s found its way to the bottom of the pack). It’s bigger than it looks in this photograph. … Continue reading What’s In the Pack?
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Aurora dos Campos
Aurora dos Campos is a set designer, artist and researcher. She holds a PhD in Fine Arts from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto [FBAUP], having received a grant from the Foundation for Science and Technology [FCT] for her research entitled “Fictionalising Matter ∩ Materialising Fiction: The Artistic Practice of a Set Designer”. She is a research fellow at the Institute for Research in Art, Design and Society [I2ADS]. She holds a Master’s degree in Art and Design for Public Space from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, with the dissertation “Dramaturgies of the Everyday: Speculations on the Fictional Dimension of the Real” [FBAUP | 2019] and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts with a specialisation in set design from the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro [UNIRIO | 2006].
The Lucky Trikes: Listening Pasts – Listening Futures
Storyteller Deirdre Harrison brings this storytelling chamber band that has been delighting intergenerational audiences since 2014. Dynamic, interactive readings of well-known and award-winning books are accompanied by improvised and composed music.
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