Dreamer's Rock

When I first read the title 'Toronto at Dreamer's Rock' I wasn't able to make sense of it. Of course, I've heared of Toronto before, but I didn't know what 'Dreamer's Rock' could be. The description in the book said that the play is located at:

'Dreamer's Rock, Whitefish River (Birch Island) Reserve, Ontario.'

This information indicated that 'Dreamer's Rock' actually exists and therefore is a real place in Canada. But these first information were just geographical details - I wondered what the mysterious name 'Dreamer's Rock' could stand for. This is why I first searched the internet to get an answer to my question. I found out that the rock derives its name from a local Native tradition. Aboriginal boys at the age of puberty were sent to the summit where they fasted and, trough dreams, received powers from a guardian spirit. That's why it started to make sense to me, that the three characters of the play were all boys at the age of sixteen. When Rusty (a boy from the present) and Keesic (a boy from the past) first met, Keesic asked Rusty what he is doing on this sacred site, which confirmes the previously described Indian tradition. After I found out about the story of 'Dreamer's Rock', I wondered how the word Toronto could fit into this context. This question was answered during the reading process. There is a sequence in the book where Keesic (the boy from the past) talks about his tribe Odawa. He says that they are great traders and often go to the south for goods. The people there use the word 'Toronto' for this place where people gather to trade, but it can be used for any place where important things happen. This is why Rusty transfers it to their gathering at 'Dreamer's Rock' by saying: "So we're like a mini-Toronto up here. That's cool."

The picture on the left is a creation by the Canadian artist Mishibinijima called 'Dreamer's Rock'. He was born on Manitoulin Island in 1954 and grew up with the legends of the Ojibwe people (second-largest population of First Nations in Canada). In the 1970s Mishibinijima started to explore different sacred places around Manitoulin Island and expressed his impressions in his paintings, which speak to all who yearn for spiritual sustenance. His works show the interconnectedness of all life and can be understood as a call upon all nations to preserve our national surroundings for the benefit of our children.