As the York Region District School Board moves forward in an effort to reconcile with Indigenous people, it is important we use land acknowledgments relevant to each of our unique school and facility locations based on the two treaty areas that cross our region. The reasons for this are as follows:
- The treaties are still significant and in practice today. In all cases the descendants of both parties are living in these territories. Those who arrived after their signing have reaped the benefits of these agreements.
- It helps connect people with the very rich history of this region and makes it clear there were a variety of groups who lived here prior to confederation, who managed these lands according to their own customs and ways.
- Finally, it will help people to understand the wide variety of land that they live on and connect them more closely to where they live and are traveling to. At its best, it could help consolidate the feeling of community as urban sprawl melds formerly separate towns into one larger metropolitan cityscape.
The educational opportunity that comes out of this project is significant. There are opportunities here to help students and staff become acutely aware of where they live and the very real and significant history of this land and their own personal relationship with it.
Each
morning at Silver Stream the following Land Acknowledgment is made:
We would like to start by acknowledging that we
are on the traditional territories of the Wendat,
the Haudenosaunee, and the Anishinaabe peoples, whose presence here continues to this day. We
also would like to acknowledge this is the treaty lands of the First Nations of
the Williams Treaty and thank them and other Indigenous peoples for sharing
this land with us. We would also like to acknowledge the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation as our closest First Nation community and
our partners in education.
We acknowledge this land and the people because
the first step to reconciliation is recognizing the existence of Indigenous
people. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of
Canada Calls to Action (numbers 62-63) speak to the significance of education as the key
to reconciliation. A shared understanding of how our collective past brought us
to where we are today will help us walk together into a better future.
- The treaties are still significant and in practice today. In all cases the descendants of both parties are living in these territories. Those who arrived after their signing have reaped the benefits of these agreements.
- It helps connect people with the very rich history of this region and makes it clear there were a variety of groups who lived here prior to confederation, who managed these lands according to their own customs and ways.
- Finally, it will help people to understand the wide variety of land that they live on and connect them more closely to where they live and are traveling to. At its best, it could help consolidate the feeling of community as urban sprawl melds formerly separate towns into one larger metropolitan cityscape.
The educational opportunity that comes out of this project is significant. There are opportunities here to help students and staff become acutely aware of where they live and the very real and significant history of this land and their own personal relationship with it.
Each
morning at Silver Stream the following Land Acknowledgment is made:
We would like to start by acknowledging that we
are on the traditional territories of the Wendat,
the Haudenosaunee, and the Anishinaabe peoples, whose presence here continues to this day. We
also would like to acknowledge this is the treaty lands of the First Nations of
the Williams Treaty and thank them and other Indigenous peoples for sharing
this land with us. We would also like to acknowledge the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation as our closest First Nation community and
our partners in education.
We acknowledge this land and the people because
the first step to reconciliation is recognizing the existence of Indigenous
people. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of
Canada Calls to Action (numbers 62-63) speak to the significance of education as the key
to reconciliation. A shared understanding of how our collective past brought us
to where we are today will help us walk together into a better future.
