I did a little research to find out what 'unusual' burial sites might be close to me here in Scarborough (part of Toronto) that would be appropriate to include in this blog. I've done the small country cemeteries in the outlying areas but nothing from the metropolitan area (although I have photographed a couple of other locations). I did a bit of research and found out about this site, an ancient ossuary located in a park not far from where I live, and made a point of visiting it.
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| Through the trees to the top |
There is the the hill of course, as the name implies, at the top of which sits a stone on a pedestal. Located just in front of it and a little to the side is a limb from a tree, one end embedded in the ground, with a single feather attached.
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| Stone and branch |
Park, hill and stone sit in a well established housing subdivision. The details of the bone cache's discovery are on one of the two plaques which are affixed to the stone, the one facing west. I'll let you read it from the photograph.
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| West facing plaque |
The plaque on the other side, facing east, has a prayer on it. I'll print the prayer here because it's a little difficult to read from the photograph itself.
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| Iroquois prayer |
It says:
'O Great Spirit whose voice I hear in the winds and whose breath gives life to all the world, hear me. I am a man before you, one of your many children. I am small and weak. I need your strength and wisdom. Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunsets. Make my hands respect the things you have made, my ears sharp to hear your voice. Make me wise so I may know the things you have taught my people, the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. I seek strength, O Creator, not to be superior to my brothers, but to be able to fight my greatest enemy, myself. Make me ever ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eye, so that when life fades as the setting sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.'
Very nice sentiments.
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| Taber Hill |
And there's one other detail, and one that means no disrespect to the site or the people who are interred there. It appears that this is a great sledding hill in the winter time.
Colin
Colin,
ReplyDeleteI can tell you that indeed it was one of the best sledding hill around and a very special part of my life.
As a child I lived right at the corner of Lawrence and Bellamy, about a block or two away. I went past it every day on my way to William Tredway School.
As any Canadian kid can tell you, it's perfect slope was far too difficult to resist , especially when it was covered by a fresh layer of snow.
We children never knew or even stopped to consider the significance of that hill. To tell you the truth, it probably would not have mattered. A snow covered hill was fair game to kid.
In my heart I believe that the joy, laughter and peace was very much a gift from those great souls interred beneath us. As an adult, now keenly aware of it's sanctity, I am deeply moved and very grateful to have been allowed to have had so many wonderful memories created there.
There is one thing that i seemed to remember (we're talking more than 40 years now). There were three words inscribed on the wooden sign at the foot of the hill which said something like" Ingwe Ongwe Iroquois " . Did you see that and do you have any idea what it means in English?