Land Acknowledgement
It is vital that SSICSIM, organizations like it, and their members remember the unceded territory they operate on.
Taking responsibility.
We acknowledge the traditional territory upon which we gather today. This land has a long and tangled (hi)story that carries the storied foot prints of the Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek nations who have sought to walk gently on this land.
They offered assistance to the first European travellers to this territory and shared their knowledge for survival. Tkaronto has a treaty with the Mississaugas of the Credit River First Nation, and is part of the Dish With One Spoon agreement to share the land between the anishinaabek and the Haudenosaunee nations.
We acknowledge the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis, and the Inuit peoples.
In moving towards reconciliation, we seek to polish the silver Covenant Chain and a restoration of the relationship between the Onkwehonwe (Original) and settler peoples of this land, one based in honour and deep respect.
Land Acknowledgement continue to be sites of resistance and socio-political contestation.
This Land acknowledgement serves as a starting point and needs to be taken beyond recitation. It requires deeper exploration and self-reflection. We challenge each of you to consider how you will take up your responsibilities for being on these lands and as beneficiaries of the treaty agreements that are foundational to Canada.
This Land Acknowledgement is from ‘The Deepening Knowledge Project’ website from the University of Toronto’s ‘Ontario Institute for Studies in Education’. Read more about it here