Tipi of Huron-Perth Finds New Home at Stratford Perth Museum
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tipi of Huron-Perth Finds New Home at Stratford Perth Museum
Free Open House August 29 invites community to learn from local Elders and Knowledge Sharers
STRATFORD, ON — August 2026 — The Tipi of Huron-Perth has a new home on the Heritage Trails at the Stratford Perth Museum, creating an accessible gathering place for Indigenous knowledge sharing, learning, ceremony and community connection.
The community is invited to a free Open House on Saturday, August 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Tipi’s new location on the Stratford Perth Museum Heritage Trails. The day will offer opportunities to learn from local Elders and Knowledge Sharers, with food and music throughout the event.
The Tipi of Huron-Perth grew from a vision of Christin Dennis, who wanted to create a place in the local area where he could share his knowledge and teachings, including the Seven Sacred Teachings and the Medicine Wheel, as well as his artistic skills. His vision was to create a welcoming space both for Indigenous people reconnecting with their roots and for non-Indigenous people who want to learn more about Indigenous culture and the importance of Truth and Reconciliation.
With funding made available through the National Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation of Canada, and administered on behalf of Kaswentha Two Row Now by the Listowel-Wingham and Area Family Health Team, Dennis led the development, planning, installation and programming of the Tipi of Huron-Perth.
Since its establishment in Gowanstown, the Tipi has welcomed schools, social service organizations, faith groups, businesses and community members for programs, teachings and events.
Its relocation to the Stratford Perth Museum Heritage Trails will make the Tipi easier for more people to access while providing a natural setting for ongoing programming, learning and connection.
The Tipi will continue to be led and programmed by the Tipi of Huron-Perth and its Indigenous leaders, Knowledge Sharers and community partners. The Stratford Perth Museum is pleased to provide a home for the Tipi and to help connect the broader community with the people, knowledge and programming it brings together.
The relocation has been supported by United Way Perth-Huron, with funding to assist with moving the Tipi and the costs of programs and events at its new location. The Huron-Perth Children’s Aid Society has also supported the project through the donation of chairs for the Tipi.
Additional community partners and supporters include the Stratford Perth Community Foundation, Falstaff Family Centre and Destination Stratford.
Visitors to the August 29 Open House will be able to experience the Tipi in its new setting, meet members of the community involved in the project and learn more about the teachings, programs and events that will take place there.
Admission to the Open House is free. Donations are warmly welcomed, with contributions helping to support Tipi of Huron-Perth programming and the ongoing preservation of the Tipi.
Tipi of Huron-Perth Open House
Saturday, August 29, 2026
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Free admission
Stratford Perth Museum Heritage Trails
4275 Huron Road, Stratford
Learn from local Elders and Knowledge Sharers, with music throughout the day.
Inquiries about educational programming at the Tipi of Huron-Perth can be directed to info@tipiofhuronperth.ca
Media Contacts
Christin Dennis
Tipi of Huron-Perth- Facilitator
sitting1213@gmail.com
519-492-0038
Patsy Anne Day
Kaswentha Two Row Now
patsyanne51@gmail.com
Kelly McIntosh
Stratford Perth Museum
kelly@stratfordperthmuseum.ca
519-393-5312
Christin Dennis – Biography
Christin Dennis has been a resident of North Perth since 2006, along with his wife Helen Shaw and their two sons, Seth Dennis and Sam Dennis. Christin is from Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Sarnia and is a Sixties Scoop Survivor. He is the organizer and facilitator of the Tipi of Huron Perth.
A spiritual healer as well as an artist, Christin stresses the importance of traditional teachings and spiritual growth. As such, he has facilitated sweat lodges for 22 years and emphasizes that awareness of self and one’s place in the world is important for members of both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous cultures. By understanding and embracing the teachings of the ancestral past, Christin seeks to preserve a way of life, share its core values, and help build a vision for our future.