The Tale of Toronto

Episode 1

The name "Toronto" comes from the Mohawk term meaning "trees in the water," originally referring to Wendat fish traps. The name moved southward on European maps, and by 1834, it became the official name of Upper Canada's capital. Indigenous peoples inhabited the region for thousands of years, developing extensive trade routes and settlements. By the early 1600s, the Iroquoian-speaking Wendat and Haudenosaunee dominated the south, while Algonkian-speaking nations lived in the north. European goods arrived in the late 1500s, followed by devastating epidemics and Haudenosaunee attacks on the Wendat. The Mississaugas later settled the area before European colonization reshaped it permanently.