Roots of Knowledge

Beside Indigenous House (expected to open in spring 2026), a unique outdoor space is taking shape – one designed for gathering, ceremony and learning.

At its heart lies a space to hold a sacred fire, ringed by 30 large log seats and a landscape of 150 trees, 120 shrubs and 50 perennials. The native plant species include fruit and nut-bearing trees, medicinal plants and others chosen to support endangered butterflies, moths and birds.

The Indigenous Gathering Circle was designed by landscape architects Public Work in collaboration with Nikibii Dawadinna Giigwag, a U of T-based summer employment program that connects Indigenous youth with land-based traditions and pathways into architecture design and ecological restoration. Students in the program researched plant species, advised on layout and suggested programming for the space.

High school student Jordy Bouygoran – one of 10 youth from the program who helped lead the planting ceremony – is seen at left holding a yarrow, a perennial herb.

The circle will not only serve as a place for ceremony, but also as a community hub and teaching space where visitors can engage with Indigenous knowledge and traditions. It’s hoped that members of the youth program will return each summer to monitor the growth of the plants and trees – knowledge that could inform future projects.

For Liat Margolis, a professor at U of T’s Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, who co-founded the program with Elder Whabagoon, the circle is about more than design. “It’s not just a beautiful place to admire,” she says. “It’s a space where people can build a relationship with the plants and land through stewardship and knowledge sharing.”

The Indigenous Gathering Circle was funded in part by the City of Toronto’s Urban Forestry Grants and Incentives Program.