Why We Use Land Acknowledgements
Acknowledging the land on which the Genwell Project operates serves as a significant step towards embracing indigenization and decolonization. By announcing a new land acknowledgement, we underscore our collective recognition that the site of Genwell Project’s headquarters occupies territory covered by Treaty Thirteen, a region with deep historical and ongoing ties to its original inhabitants. This act of acknowledgment not only emphasizes our understanding of the land’s profound history but also signals our ongoing commitment to learning and engaging in the process of truth and reconciliation. We honor the indigenous peoples who have stewarded this land since time immemorial.
Such acknowledgments provide us with a moment to contemplate the enduring effects of colonialism, acknowledging its past, present, and future ramifications. Moreover, they serve as a prompt for us to seek guidance from the wisdom of Canada’s First Peoples, encouraging active participation in a journey towards healing and equity.
Genwell’s Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge the land we are on is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of many nations. In Toronto, that includes the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Seneca, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
We acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit and is within the lands protected by the “Dish With One Spoon” wampum agreement between the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. We are grateful for the opportunity to work on this land.
In the spirit of The GenWell Project, the Human Connection Movement, we know that acknowledgement is not enough, and we encourage all those here today, and beyond, to reflect and act on building empathy and compassion through human connection. In order to support Canadian communities, we must first support our Indigenous peoples, and there are many ways to do so. Consider educating yourself about the true history of Indigenous peoples in our country through survivor stories, supporting indigenous artists, businesses and communities, or donating to grassroots organizations that support Indigenous communities.