The Town of Tecumseh is days away from unveiling a sculpture of Chief Tecumseh.
The dedication ceremony for the sculpture will take place at Lakewood Park North at the beach on Monday, July 3.
The sculpture was carved by local artist Heather Mallaby.
A direct descendant of Chief Tecumseh, Patricia Shawnoo and members of the Tecumtha Ogitchada Society, will be in attendance for traditional singing and drumming and a ceremonial gift exchange.
Gary McNamara, Mayor of Tecumseh, says this sculpture was a long time coming.
"That's our namesake for the past hundred years, what a great tribute to unveil a statue of a great individual who did so much to fight for Canada back in 1812, and gave his life, obviously, to Canada."
He says the day will be filled with culture and traditions.
"There will be an opportunity for our residents to appreciate the drumming, their singing, and certainly celebrate their culture, but most importantly celebrate an ancestor that meant so much to them, but also a lot to us. That's the reason why this Town is named after him."
McNamara says this is all part of reconciliation.
"It's we, the colonizers so to speak, who need to reconcile with them. It's not the other way around, it's us to them for the injustice that was done to them in the past. And now it's an opportunity for us to set that behind us and really start building a greater relationship and understanding of both of cultures."
He adds that there were many talks to ensure the sculpture was culturally accurate.
"We do have the blessings, and that's the whole concept working very closely with Patricia Shawnoo to guide us to make sure that we show full respect to the Indigenous population."
A sunrise ceremony will take place at sunrise on Monday.
The public is welcome to attend the unveiling which begins at 11 a.m. at Lakewood Park North, on the beach, located at 13400 Riverside Drive East.
The sculpture is sponsored by the WindsorEssex Community Foundation as a community legacy project in celebration of their 40th anniversary.