Kìwekì Point (), formerly Nepean Point is a hill overlooking the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (french: Rivière des Outaouais, Algonquin: ''Kichi-Sìbì/Kitchissippi'') is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word 'to trade', as it was the major trade route of Eastern ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It is located between the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the l ...

and

Alexandra Bridge The Royal Alexandra Interprovincial Bridge, also known as the Alexandra Bridge or Interprovincial Bridge, is a steel truss cantilever bridge spanning the Ottawa River between Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec. In addition to carrying vehicl ...

. The site is managed by the

National Capital Commission The National Capital Commission (NCC; french: Commission de la capitale nationale, CCN) is the Crown corporation responsible for development, urban planning, and conservation in Canada's Capital Region (Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec), i ...

(NCC). The hill had originally been named after

Evan Nepean Sir Evan Nepean, 1st Baronet, PC FRS (9 July 1752 – 2 October 1822)Sparrow (n.d.) was a British politician and colonial administrator. He was the first of the Nepean Baronets. Family Nepean was born at St. Stephens near Saltash, Cornwall, ...

. At the peak of the hill is a statue of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

explorer

Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; Fichier OrigineFor a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December 1635) was a Fre ...

holding his famous

astrolabe An astrolabe ( grc, ἀστρολάβος ; ar, ٱلأَسْطُرلاب ; persian, ستاره‌یاب ) is an ancient astronomical instrument that was a handheld model of the universe. Its various functions also make it an elaborate inclin ...

upside-down. It was made by sculptor

Hamilton MacCarthy Hamilton Thomas Carlton Plantagenet MacCarthy (28 July 1846 – 24 October 1939) was one of the earliest masters of monumental bronze sculpture in Canada. He is known for his historical sculptures, in particular his Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons ...

in 1915. Previously, the statue also featured a kneeling

Anishinabe The Anishinaabeg (adjectival: Anishinaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples present in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawatomi, M ...

scout, added in 1918 to "signify how the native people helped Champlain navigate through the waters of the Ottawa River". The scout statue has since been relocated to nearby

Major's Hill Park Major's Hill Park is a park in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. The park stands above the Rideau Canal at the point where it enters the Ottawa River. The parliament buildings can be seen across the canal to the west, to the north of the park is the Nat ...

and was renamed "Kitchi Zibi Omàmìwininì" in 2013. The original site also featured several other sculptures and an

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

known as "Astrolabe Theatre". In November 2019, the site was closed to begin a redevelopment project lead by Janet Rosenberg & Studio,

Patkau Architects Patkau Architects is an architecture firm based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is a full-service firm practicing in Canada and the United States. Its project scope includes, but is not limited to, gallery installations, art galleries, ...

, Blackwell Structural Engineers, and ERA Architects Inc. The new site, scheduled for completion in 2024, will feature two accessible lookouts, a shelter, and a pedestrian bridge connecting the site to Major's Hill Park. During the development's planning, the NCC consulted with representatives of

Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg is an Algonquin First Nation in Quebec, Canada. It is based in the Outaouais region and owns one Indian reserve named Kitigan Zibi, located on the shores of the Gatineau River near Maniwaki. In 2018, it has a total regis ...

and the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn. On October 4, 2022, Nepean Point was renamed Kìwekì Point in order to "highlight

Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

voices, and showcase Algonquin culture and language". ''Kìwekì'' means "returning to one's homeland" in

Gallery

File:Pointe Nepean - 04.jpg, Looking upstream the Ottawa River from Kìwekì Point. File:Pointe Nepean - 07.jpg, Looking downstream the Ottawa River from Kìwekì Point. File:Champlain statue with archer.jpg, MacCarthy's statues together ''c.'' 1918—1936 File:Champlain statue, Nepean Point, Ottawa.jpg, MacCarthy's ''Samuel de Champlain with Astrolabe''. File:Anishinabe Scout.jpg, MacCarthy's ''Kitchi Zibi Omàmìwininì'' at Major's Hill Park. File:La montee vers la pointe Nepean - 01.jpg, ''Ascent to Nepean point'' by

Cornelia Oberlander Cornelia Hahn Oberlander (20 June 1921 – 22 May 2021) was a German-born Canadian landscape architect. Her firm, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander Landscape Architects, was founded in 1953, when she moved to Vancouver. During her career she contribu ...

(1988) File:Black Nest.jpg, ''Black Nest'' by

Bill Vazan Bill Vazan (born 1933) is a Canadian artist, known for land art, sculpture, painting and photography. His work has been exhibited in North America and internationally. Career Born in Toronto, Ontario, Vazan studied Fine Arts at the Ontario Colle ...

(1991) File:One hundred foot line (48602638147).jpg, ''One Hundred Foot Line'' by Roxy Paine (2010) File:Majestic - 01.jpg, ''Majestic'' by

Michel de Broin Michel de Broin (born 1970 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian sculptor. De Broin has created numerous public artworks in Canada and Europe, including the Salvador Allende monument in Montreal. He was the recipient of the 2007 Sobey Art Award. ...

(2011) File:One Hundred Foot Line - 03.jpg, ''Nature Will Reclaim You'' by

Nicholas Galanin Nicholas Galanin (pronounced gah-LANN-in) is a Tlingit and Unangax̂ multi-disciplinary artist and musician from Alaska. His work often explores a dialogue of change and identity between Native and non-Native communities. Background Nicholas Gala ...

(2013)

References

External links

{{Ottawa landmarks Parks in Ottawa Landforms of Ottawa