Single Mom Thug Life: Solo Female Traveler. From the Series: Historical Landmarks of Toronto. Vxo

"Colonel Givins kept up an active interest in Canadian affairs until his death. He is buried in St. James’ cemetery. Unfortunately, there is no portrait in existence of this man, who exerted so great an interest upon the birth and youth of Toronto." Toronto Star Article: by Adam Meyers, May 3rd 2007

You see that big red brick Victorian house with the turret? That is where the original Givins homestead used to be. It was torn down over a hundred years ago (1891). This sketch of the original homestead is from the above noted article.

So the season has begun once again as a Solo Female Traveler. Reading through my blog posts, you can see that I have done a few throughout the winter, but this time I am prepping for the beginnings of my summer adventures into the history, the beginnings of Canada. And I am prepping the Sexxy Beast, my new to me, 2008 Nissan Xterra Offroad for a summer of excursions into history.

Over the winter I inherited my father's extensive library, mostly on the history of Canada. Predominantly from a Irish/Scottish immigrant perspective but I also have begun to realize, as I sort it through, that he was educating himself on truths in the Indigenous populations. My father was a high school teacher back in the 70's and later an Assistant Warden of a Federal Medium security penitentiary, running the education department. While the majority of the Canadian society was intentionally excluded from the full knowledge of residential / trade schools, he knew something was amiss. His library 'in hand' I too have stepped on the shoulders of his greatness and have begun educating myself on similar topics. I see our current foster care system as an extenuation of residential schools and the sixty's scoop. So as I continue my anthropological adventures in the Sexxy Beast, my goal is to pull back Indigenous history, their stories, into the history books that excluded them. They say there are always three sides to the truth. I am tired of only hearing one truth and in reality I am insulted and humiliated that I believed the 'one' truth.

In my Father's library, I found the book "Robertson's Landmarks of Toronto" published in 1976. The first volume, the first landmark was this, Colonel Givins. As one of the historical people who played a part in the creation and protection of Canada, I am drawn to his role in the squirmish of 1813 when with a group of "Indians" and British soldiers to support him, he attempted to fend off the American's. They were over powered, but his wife literally sewed up many of the wounded in her parlor. Hence the historical fact that the floor boards under the rug that covered them, were stained in blood.

What remains fascinating are the people in early Canada, before Canada was Canada, that supported equality with Indigenous peoples and protected the black peoples escaping the United States. Admittedly, I do not know if Colonel Givins was one of those men, yet...I am hoping it will pop up in my research. However, I do question, why are 'these' people not in the history books in our children's curriculum.

The least we can do is tell the full story from our historical perspective so that when the Indigenous perspective is included, we can begin to see the greater truths of Canada as a nation. I am a very proud Canadian. I acknowledge the shame in our history and I for one, choose to confront that shame with truths. I search for them. I don't pretend to know any answers, I simply gather truths from all perspectives and place them like puzzle pieces that created this beyond beautiful place I call home. This is really just a practice that makes me feel closer to my father who passed away about 16 years ago now. It is also what I do because the Anthropologist in me is of a curious sort and my current work in Indigenous children in foster care as an extenuation of residential schools needs a place in our history books. We need, or at least I need to understand who thought this was a good idea and who worked differently in the realm of colonialism.

I am not sure if I will ever find the truths my father was searching for. What I do know is that he would be so proud of me for looking outside of what is so easily taught to us. He always did. It was what made his such a fabulous storyteller! And my Mother tells me that my 'going to' these landmarks was something my Father would do, so that he could stand in the place of people before him and try to understand their worlds, their decisions, their views historically, geographically, and socially.

So next step in the Landmarks book Dad, Castle Frank....I always wondered what the heck that stop on the TTC meant. I have wondered who built a castle? Who is Frank?...I guess I will find out in my next adventure in the Sexxy Beast! Vxo

Veronica Hendrick-Lockyer is an Anthropologist that has previously focused on youth poverty in rural and urban Canada. As a Ph.D. student she has now shifted her focus to the over representation of Indigenous Youth in the Foster Care system in Canada with a narrower lens on female Indigenous youth transitioning out of foster care. She self describes as 'the underdog' that keeps her perception of poverty and racism in tune with her methodology of keeping her feet on the ground where 'walking with' her research friends often overlaps with her own lived experiences in an unjust and powerless world.