City renames Outremont peak for Mohawks
Centuries before people congregated for the tam-tams to have barbecues or to feed ducks at Beaver Lake, Mount Royal was a gathering point for the Mohawk nation.
“There was a big fire at the top of the mountain, so people would know where to beach their canoes to get to the gathering point,” said Christine Zachary Deom, a council chief of the Mohawk council of Kahnawake. “This is where our community was. We always came together here in the village of Hochelaga (based around presentday McGill University).”
She explained the mountain was a gathering point for First Nations communities from far and wide.
On Saturday, the city moved to recognize the importance of the mountain to the communities that settled here long before Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve and Jeanne Mance established the Ville-Marie village that became the city of Montreal. The peak in Outremont was named Parc Tiohtià:ke Otsira’kéhne (pronounced djodjâgué otchira’guéné). In Mohawk, the words mean: the place of the big fire.
“Our asset is diversity, but diversity also in nations,” Mayor Denis Coderre said. “They were here before us. Today, we send a strong message of the close relationship we have with the nations, and it’s part of our reconciliation.”
Coderre said the 375th anniversary is a chance to recognize the mistakes of the past and move on to a more-inclusive future. That includes modifying the city’s flag to recognize First Nations people as one of the city’s founding nations.
Deom commended Coderre and the organizers for including First Nations people as part of Montreal’s 375th anniversary.
“It’s as though someone went inside my heart and opened it; it’s overwhelming,” Deom said. “The fact that some city streets might be renamed, and that the flag will be modified to have an inclusive symbol, these are amazing things to be happening. I really have great hope for us all.”
Saturday was also the inauguration of the Escales découvertes (Discovery Stops) along the three peaks of Mount Royal. The city invested $8.26 million, which includes renovating the belvederes, adding lookout points along the trails, and repairing staircases.
It also includes $3.45-million for granite sculptures. A few of the stumps were on display on Saturday, and they had signage that indicated the peak used to be a ski hill. A poll from a chairlift is still standing near the peak.