Land Acknowledgement

I was born and raised, and now live and work in Nogojiwanong, known to settlers as Peterborough, Ontario. 

 

I respectfully acknowledge these lands as the Traditional Territory of the Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg Peoples, and as part of the Rice Lake Treaty 20 and Williams Treaty of 1923. Through colonizers’ intentional miscommunications and deception, these treaties restricted the original inhabitants’ access to hunting, fishing and harvesting, threatening their food sources and their livelihood. This impact, among many other atrocities, caused very real and lasting harm to bodies, which goes against everything my work stands for. I continue to learn about how this trauma still affects Indigenous people today, and am committed to doing my part for Reconciliation. 

 

I have the privilege of regularly spending time along the Odenabe (Otonabee) River, walking the same steps as those navigating the Chemong Portage route for hundreds of years before me. I continue to learn more about the history of these lands, and I only hope we can help the Michi Saagiig people preserve and care for these lands in perpetuity. 

 

Chi-Miigwech to the Traditional Michi Saagiig Peoples who have shared their lands with us uninvited inhabitants. We are forever indebted to you.