Hub Staff | March 24, 2026
Visitors to the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre (BCM&CC) can now explore the Great Lakes in a new way, through their augmented reality (AR) storytelling tool, The Biinaagami Giant Floor Map.
Created by Canadian Geographic, the eight by six meter map aims to spark "curiosity, responsibility, and care for the lands and waters that sustain our communities," read a March 23 media release from BCM&CC.
The experience uses AR to share Indigenous knowledge and "guides users along the path of an Anishinaabe Water Walker - a ceremonial walker who journeys along lakes and rivers to honour water as a living, sacred relative and to call attention to its protection."
Visitors will experience original languages and place names connected to the waters, examine land use, and consider whose land through which the waters flow, locating places they know and discover new ones that aim to inspire future exploration, the release said.
"Water almost completely surrounds the Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territory," said Bluewater District School Board Indigenous Advisor Rebecca Chegahno. "Lakes, rivers, and shorelines are a major part of daily life for the people who live
here. Water is more than something we use — it is life," Chegahno said.
"Water connects people, animals, plants, and the land. It is essential for every form of life. Through the Binaagami Water Map, students will learn about their relationship with water, which will help all of us to understand how to care for it today, so that future generations will continue to have access to fresh, clean water," said Chagahno.
Museum and partners will celebrate the launch of the Biinaagami Map on Wednesday, March 25th, 2026, at the James Mason
Community Centre in Saugeen First Nation where Grade 7 and 8 students from Bluewater District School Board, Bruce-Grey Catholic District School (BGCDSB) and Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Board of Education are joining the festivities.
Students will move through activity stations led by the BCM&CC and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation Coastal Waters Monitoring Program (CWMP).
CWMP assesses the health of the nearshore environment by looking at fish communities, water quality, temperature, and habitat, said CWMP Manager Katrina Keeshig, adding that their activity will have classes travel along tributaries and discuss potential impacts from land uses.
"Students will be empowered to select solutions and through our game, see how their choices impact water quality, the ecosystem, and aquatic organisms," Keeshig said.
Students will also learn about turtle lifecycles and teachings within Saukiing Anishinaabekiing as well as practical ways to support their protection.
Natalka Pucan, Indigenous Education Consultant with BGCDSB said that Binaagami Map curroiculum is an important tool supporting teachers as well as students to know and understand the importance of water to Indigenous communities. "These lessons support the Grade 7 and 8 history and geography curriculum, allowing teachers to integrate Indigenous perspectives, ways of knowing and doing into their classrooms. Having opportunities to learn in an interactive setting ensures support for different ways of learning," Pucan said.
Following the March 25 launch, the map will be an available resource for teachers within BCM&CC's online Education Centre.
Later this year, BCM&CC will work with Saugeen Ojibway Nation Knowledge Keepers, BGCDSB, BWDSB, and SON Environment Office to create specific territory experiences with content and learning resources that enhance a localized experience.
