"Listen to the Land"

Wauzhusk - the original, and continuing steward.

The Site's Mentor and Spiritual Guide
Kamut (Clarence Henry) was an elder of the Ochiichag'Webabigo'Ining First Nation.  Clarence's deep relationship with the land and the Winnipeg River helped inform the research that led to the re-discovery of Rat Portage.  Drawing on a rich oral tradition, Clarence identified the north end of the portage as a traditional camping site.  He carried this information over one hundred and twenty years after the route had been made impassable!  Beyond the detailed information about the physical world , Clarence also shared a broader and deeper way of knowing and understanding his corner of Turtle Island.  His abiding, (lived rather than stated,) lesson was: "listen to the land".  This website is therefore dedicated to the memory of Clarence Henry Sr. and, in his name, it is promised to all people who, like he, care enough to listen to the land, -and to each other.

The 'Researcher'
Formative years spent on the Voyageur route near Fort William gave Cuyler Cotton a life-long interest in the Fur Trade period of Canadian History.   Later, as a resident on the Winnipeg River, he was dissatisfied with the widely disseminated but inconsistent descriptions of the several portages between the Lake of the Woods and the Winnipeg River.  The oft-referenced, detailed description and sketch contained in Dr. Bigsby's Shoe and Canoe clearly failed to match any of the commonly known carrying-places.  After years of periodic archival research and frequent field investigations, the site that Bigsby described as "The Rat Portage" finally revealed itself on a leafless day in May, 2004. 

Cuyler is the principal in Dovetail Resources, a consulting firm specializing in dispute resolution. This practice and great good fortune brought him into close contact with  the Elders of Ochiichagwe'Babigo'Ining First Nation.  These embattled but resilient Anishinaabeg were intimately familiar with the Winnipeg River and not only generously shared their knowledge, but patiently attempted to get a dumb white guy to begin to appreciate that there are other ways of understanding.