The Awen’ Gathering Place is located at Collingwood's waterfront and designed to recognize the First Nations presence in South Georgian Bay and create opportunities for engagement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples while fostering reconciliation through education and conversation. 

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The concept for the Awen’ Gathering Place is based on the teachings of renowned Anishinaabe educator, artist and poet Dr Duke Redbird. It links the seven layers of the food forest to the Seven Grandfather Teachings, an ancient Anishinaabe/Midewiwin teaching on the ethics of proper behaviour and conduct or ‘the good way of life’. These teachings are linked to lands that were for thousands of years, the source  of life for the Anishinaabeg peoples who gathered foods, medicines and materials from the forest in the area that is now Collingwood.