31 Jan 2018

Taber Hill Memorial


Location: Bellamy Rd north of Lawrence Ave.
Date photo taken: 18 February 2017

This small, unassuming little hill near Markham Road and Lawrence is the resting place of over 500 individuals. It is a Huron/Wendat burial mound. It was discovered in 1956 when construction equipment was brought in to level the site. When bones were uncovered, experts were brought in to evaluate the site. It was determined that the skeletons were buried in a ritual manner consistent with the Wendat Feast of Souls. Walter Kenyon, who supervised an archaeological examination of the site, described it as "the most significant ethnological discovery in Canada's history." The site was quickly designated as a historical site and the bones were re-interred. Representatives of the Iroquois Six Nations were invited to supervise an Iroquois Feast of the Dead reburial ceremony which took place over three days. In 1961, a memorial was placed at the top of the mound, to inform visitors of the significance of the site.

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