Haweater

Haweater is a designation given to a person born on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. The name derives from the prevalence of hawberries among the island's vegetation. Originally it was reported that early settlers got their vitamin C intake by eating hawberries, and thus avoided scurvy.[1]

A person who has lived on Manitoulin Island, but was not born there, may be considered an honorary haweater.

Culture

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An annual cultural festival in Little Current is known as Haweater Weekend and takes place on the August Civic Holiday weekend.[2] As well as concerts, sports, and recreational events, this festival is marked by the distribution of Haweater dollars, a community currency, and the production and sale of hawberry-flavoured products such as ice cream and jam.

A Haweater is also a 1 dollar commemorative coin minted for the island from 1969 to at least 2001. The coins depict various events and locations on the island.

References

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  1. ^ Mike Strobel, "Island life is berry mellow", Toronto Sun, July 10, 2008.
  2. ^ "Haweater Weekend". Archived from the original on 2010-07-19. Retrieved 2008-08-09.