Territorial Acknowledgement
As we come together as a collaborative of people engaging to address the climate crisis we’re all facing, we honour and acknowledge the First Peoples and the land on which we gather. We recognize that Indigenous peoples and cultures know how to sustainably use the land, respect natural boundaries and observe limits, and honour and support the interconnectedness of all life – and are still here doing this work today.
The Indigenous peoples of this land are the Chonnonton, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee. The Haldimand Proclamation of 1784 promised almost one million acres of land to the Six Nations of the Grand River (six miles on either side of the Grand River). To date, only 48,000 acres remain under Indigenous control.
All settlers share in the responsibility to respect land agreements and their original intentions, in dialogue with and listening to the Indigenous peoples who still use these lands today. As we gather on the watershed of the Grand River, we honour all the rights of the Six Nations of the Grand River, and we acknowledge the presence and gifts of many Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island. Together, we seek to renew and nurture right relations.