Rooted in water: re-connecting the community of Black River First Nation

• Main Author: Handkamer, Kevin
• Other Authors: Straub, Dietmar (Landscape Architecture), McLachlan, Ted (Landscape Architecture) Thomas, James (HTFC Planning & Design)
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Landscape architecture; Black River; First Nation; anishina*
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1993/31257

The community of Black River First Nation located along the shores of Lake Winnipeg in eastern Manitoba began as a seasonal Anishinaabe fishing village, and became a permanent settlement upon entering into Treaty in 1876. A renewed interest within the community to preserve traditional knowledge and remain connected to the past led to my involvement with the community. Upon learning of a historic settlement site once connected by an extensive water and land based transportation network, design decisions were made to reintegrate this network into the community. This practicum explores how a change in settlement location has impacted community development and proposes a design strategy for the historic Black River settlement site that creates destinations and travel routes to enhance and rediscover connections to the lands and waters that shaped the community. May 2016