Over two days, you follow the canoe from story to creation.
Thursday, October 1 – Friday, October 2
Over two days, you follow the birchbark canoe from story to creation. Day one traces its path through more than 10,000 years of Indigenous presence in Muskoka, guided through the award-winning Misko-Aki exhibition in Gravenhurst. Day two places you beside master builder Chuck Commanda in Downtown Huntsville, where bark becomes a canoe by hand. It is a chance to take part in community, learn directly from Indigenous knowledge keepers, and understand the deep relationship between canoes and the people who have shaped this land for generations.
This experience is offered by donation, shared between the two Indigenous-led initiatives that host it: Hope Arises Project Inc. and the Misko-Aki: Confluence of Cultures exhibition.
Please give your donation in person to each organization directly. Registration is still required to hold your place. Limited to 15 spots.
Select October 1 on the calendar to book the full package, which includes both days. If you can’t attend both events, please reach out so we can make sure every learning spot gets filled. Limited quantities.
Questions Before You Book?
We’re happy to help.
[email protected]
(705) 205-3451
The Great Canadian Wilderness
TICO Registration #50027320
3-1 Taylor Road, Bracebridge, ON P1L 1W8
(705) 205-3451
RECLAMATION TO RECONCILIATION
Chuck Commanda is Algonquin from Kitigan Zibi First Nation and who learned the craft from his grandparents. Chuck describes every build as “a ceremony, and Wiigwaasi Jiimaanke, a symbol of renewal, reconciliation, pride and forgiveness.”
Day 1: A Canoe Journey Through History
Thursday October 1, 2026 – 10:00 AM – Noon
Misko-Aki: Confluence of Cultures. Muskoka Discovery Centre, Gravenhurst.
Your guide is Jack Payette, knowledge keeper and member of the Odawa Nation. He shares the traditions, culture, and stories he carries first-hand as he leads you through Misko-Aki: Confluence of Cultures, an award-winning exhibition on the Indigenous presence in Muskoka reaching back more than 10,000 years.
The exhibition is shaped as a canoe journey. Across seven stops, you travel from the arrival of Indigenous hunters at the end of the last ice age through a changing land, farming, colonial contact, and life today. The exhibit was built over two years by a curatorial circle of Indigenous elders, scholars, and linguists from four cultural groups: Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabek, Métis, and Haudenosaunee.
About The Muskoka Discovery Centre
The Muskoka Discovery Centre is dedicated to preserving, sharing and celebrating the culture, heritage and stories of Muskoka. Through immersive exhibitions, educational programming and community events, the Discovery Centre connects visitors with Muskoka’s past, present and future.
The Muskoka Discovery Centre is part of Muskoka Steamships & Discovery Centre, a membership-based, not-for-profit registered charity.
Charitable Number: 132617770RR0001
Day 2: The canoe by hand
Friday October 2, 2026 1:30 – 4:00
Wiigwaasi Jiimaanke, Birchbark Canoe Build Presented by Hope Arises. Rivermill Park, Huntsville.
Today you step into a living piece of Indigenous craft. Hope Arises presents Wiigwaasi Jiimaanke, a traditional birchbark canoe build led by master canoe builder Chuck Commanda of Kitigan Zibi First Nation. Chuck learned the craft from his grandparents and carries it forward one canoe at a time. Over two weeks the canoe takes shape entirely by hand, from bark to finished vessel. Chuck describes every build as a ceremony, and Wiigwaasi Jiimaanke as a symbol of renewal, reconciliation, pride and forgiveness. This is an educational community build, and you are invited to be part of it.
The day opens with a drum circle led by Joyce Jonathan Crone, founder of Hope Arises. Joyce is Haudenosaunee, Mohawk, Turtle clan, and grew up on Six Nations of the Grand River. The drum is often described as a heartbeat that calls people together. The circle has no head and no end, and everyone in it stands equal. It sets the tone for the day and connects the group to the work and to each other. Joyce will share what the drum and the circle mean.
From there you move to the canoe. Watch how the bark is chosen, shaped, and stitched, and see the tools and technique the work takes. Ask Chuck your questions about the materials, the history, and the meaning behind each step. It is a chance to learn directly from a master builder and to understand the relationship between canoes and Indigenous people.
About Hope Arises
Working alongside Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, Hope Arises Project Inc. fosters cultural understanding, builds meaningful reciprocal relationships, and promotes healing through Indigenous-led education, dialogue, and collaboration. Our work creates space for mutual respect and shared responsibility across generations while centering Indigenous knowledge, leadership, and ways of being.
Registered Charity #792612814RR0001.
Booking details
- Dates: October 1, 10:00am – Noon & October 2, 1:30 – 4:00
- Locations: Muskoka Discovery Centre, Gravenhurst. Rivermill Park, Huntsville
- Led by: Jack Payette, Chuck Commanda, and Joyce Crone
- Price: by donation, provided in person to each oganizaition
- Registration required. Space is limited.
- Includes: admission to Misko-Aki: Confluence of Cultures on day one, and the drumming circle and Wiigwaasi Jiimaanke learnings on day two
This experience is offered by donation, shared between the two Indigenous-led initiatives that host it: Hope Arises Project Inc. and the Misko-Aki: Confluence of Cultures exhibition. Please give your donation in person to each organization directly. Registration is still required to hold your place.
Getting between the two days
Transportation between the two days is not provided. Day one is in Gravenhurst and day two is in Huntsville, about 45 minutes apart. Ask us when you register and we will suggest a route plus other stops worth making along the way.
Coming from Toronto or hopping between the two towns? FlixBus runs direct to both Gravenhurst and Huntsville.
Book at flixbus.ca.
About Us
This experience is part of The Great Canadian Wilderness, the consumer-facing travel brand of Explorers’ Edge, the Regional Tourism Organization (RTO12) for Algonquin Park, Almaguin Highlands, Loring-Restoule, Muskoka, Parry Sound, South Algonquin.
As a not-for-profit, sector-led organization, we work directly with local tourism operators and businesses across the region to grow tourism in a way that gives back, supporting the people and places that make this region special, and reinvesting in the communities we serve. We’re proud to be Rainbow Registered, reflecting our commitment to welcoming and inclusive travel for all.