Originally published in TEACH Magazine, 100 Years of the Williams Treaties Special Issue, 2023
By Drew Hayden Taylor
I am from a place called Curve Lake First Nation. It’s located deep in the nether regions of the Kawartha Lakes area in Ontario. In some ways, my home is an odd place.
Technically you’d have a difficult time finding an actual lake called Curve Lake. I believe, and I could be wrong, that the name is a reference to how the lakes that border the land curve around it, creating a peninsula—those specific lakes being Buckhorn and Chemong Lake. About a hundred years or so ago, the community and Chemong Lake were called Mud Lake. Not quite as attractive a name. Thus the change, one would assume. And who knows, in today’s climate, there might be a lot less mud in the lake.
Drew Hayden Taylor was born, raised, and still lives in Curve Lake First Nation, located in Central Ontario. It’s easy to find, just go to the centre of the universe and you’re there.
