Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Dresden, Ontario

“This is one of my favorite little nooks”, I explained to Devadatta, the spiritualist I’m traveling with for the day. I walked through this area in ’96, My first marathon walk for promoting spiritual awareness. I pointed to a tree after we stopped for a break from driving. “I took a nap under this apple tree”, I said which is set a few meters away from Reverend Josiah Henson’s grave.

Rev. Henson (1789-1883) made history here as part of the black abolition movement. After escaping to Canada from slavery in Kentucky he became a conductor of the underground railroad and started a school here when securing 200 acres of land in 1841 for slaves-turned-refugees. A book was written about his memoirs by author Harriet Beecher Stowe and it became extremely popular around the world. It was entitled, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”.

Unfortunately the interpretive center was closed for the season as so was Reverend Henson’s house, which still stands here. There is also a tiny church left situated here where black parishioners came for their inner peace. I recall visiting in ’96 sitting in a pew and listening to a recording that plays “swing low sweet chariot.”

I forgot to mention to Deva the story of black slaves seeking freedom for their lives to this community was artistically demonstrated in the classic film, “The King and I’ with actor Yule Brenner. I did mention I was born in the next town over, Chatham and that’s why this place holds some sentimental value for me. Where I grew up there were a few black settlements in Canada left from those slave days.

It’s sad that slavery persists in some form or another somewhere in the world.

After this stop over, our second ,(A prior visit was at Ramachandra” home in London, Ontario) Deva and I proceeded to Windsor, a cash strapped car industry area. There we had a get together with Tom and his wife Betty (nothing to do with Uncle Tom’s Cabin). Tom had lived as a monk in our Toronto ashram in the late 70’s before he took to teaching in Nunavut in the far Artic north and before settling here. They are great company.

As a monastic person, a swami, I have this chosen obligation to visit people to encourage spiritual life. Today’s foot travel happened earlier on before setting out in the vehicle. It was a great day.

6 Km