Understanding positionality is crucial in giving Land Acknowledgements, as is the nature of the event. Many people wonder: who should give Land Acknowledgements? In the last section we outlined how to use Western University's official, scripted, institutional Land Acknowledgement, and explained how Indigenous people deliver them differently, according to our own kinship frameworks, relationships to land, Territory and Treaty. For events, in-person conferences of larger scales, it is important to consider how you are engaging local Indigenous community members, Elders and Knowledge Keepers. Inviting them to provide a Land Acknowledgement from
In this section you will receive a brief overview of the different Indigenous communities in and around London, Ontario and be invited to reflect on your relationships to these communities.
Western University, is located Baketigweyaang [at the side-flow], or what is now known as London alongside Deshkan Ziibing [Antler River], also known as the Thames River, which flows through the heart of Southwestern Ontario and connects the city to many First Nations. The city sits within the traditional lands of the Chonnonton (also known as the Attawandaron, or Neutral), and territories associated with various wampum and Treaties with the Anishnaabek, Haudenosaunee, and Lunaapewak. There are stories of Wendat, also known as the Huron, in this territory too. Cradled by Chonnonton villages located near Boler Mountain in Byron, and on a plateau where Snake Creek flows into Medway River off what is now Attawandaron Road, known as the "Lawson Site," Baketigweyaang, at the side flow, has been in relations with many diverse Indigenous Nations since time immemorial.
Listen: Walking Along Deshkan Ziibing with Summer Bressette (30 min)
Download this episode of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives' Podcast, and head down to walk alongside Deshkan Ziibing, also known as the Thames River. You will hear Summer Bressette speak on Land Acknowledgments, relationships to land & Indigenous Nationhood from her perspective as Anishinaabekwe and a member of Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point, living in London, ON.
Reflection Questions:
- What did you learn? What resonated?
- Does Summer change your view of Land Acknowledgements? Why or why not?
- What is your relationship to Deshkan Ziibing?
Indigenous communities in what is now known as Canada are found in rural areas, in or around urban centres, and some are only accessible via plane or ice road. Many Indigenous communities and First Nations are also "reserves," but not every First Nation or community has a reserve. Reserves are lands "for the use and benefit of the respective bands for which they were set apart” under Treaties with the Crown. Reserve land is held by the Crown "on behalf of" First Nations through the Indian Act.
There are three reserves, referred to as Indigenous communities, located about 30-45 min southwest of Western University. Each of these communities is unique and distinct in their cultures, histories, ceremonies, stories and languages. They are: Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Oneida Nation of the Thames and Munsee Delaware First Nation.
alongside treaties, relationships with local indigenous communities are at the crux of land acknowledgements
When we give land acknowledgements, we are speaking to a hyper-specific local context. In Western University's Land Acknowledgement when we reference that "we respect the longstanding relationships that Indigenous Nations have to this land, as they are the original caretakers," we are referring to the three closest First Nations, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Oneida Nation of the Thames and Munsee-Delaware First Nation. The term "Indigenous Nations" in the land acknowledgement also encompasses surrounding Southwestern Ontario First Nations, who are part of the larger three Nations in this territory: Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee and Lunaapewak. We recognize the Chonnonton because of their relationships to this land, and because of the role of colonization in forcing them out of this territory, while others were forced in.
It is important to note that where reserves are located today, is shaped by colonization, resource extraction, and the Indian Act. Many Nations were recruited to fight in wars to hold land and boundaries for the British, French and American colonial powers, and were then also displaced by those same colonial powers asserting boundaries and ownership over land and resources. Many Great Lakes Indigenous Peoples were semi-nomadic, and would not necessarily stay in one place permanently, year round, but travel across certain territories, not distinguished by arbitrary borders, but understood through relationships to land through ceremony, ancestral connection, sustenance, harvesting, agriculture and kinship.
Due to colonization, many Nations were forced to settle in locations that were not necessarily places they would have chosen. Many Indigenous historical and archaeological sites that are now designated historical sites and tourist attractions, are places of cultural and ancestral significance to Indigenous Peoples still today.
Many provincial and national parks, conservation areas and biologically significant nature reserves, enjoyed by everyone today, also displace the very Indigenous Nations whose knowledges and relationships to those lands maintained the biodiversity of those now-deemed-significant areas. Some communities were displaced by hydro dams, and industry, or were made to settle in floodplains and places not suitable for building permanent communities, forcing them to leave for portions of the year, or entirely.
local indigenous communities & nations
The following information is a brief overview of local Indigenous communities and Nations that are referenced in Western's Land Acknowledgement.
There are many Knowledge Keepers from this territory that offer to tell their Nation's stories and histories from time to time. The Office of Indigenous Initiatives strongly encourages anyone living in this territory to take the time to listen to these stories to deepen your understanding of who these Nations are, their relationships to the land, histories of colonization, and how they came to be here.
The following Nations have been in Turtle Island since time immemorial. However, how each of these Nations came to be permanently located in this area is shaped by ancestral and cultural ties to the territory, but also settler-colonialism in some way. Often Indigenous Peoples' historical nomadic and semi-nomadic cultures, as well as "inter-tribal warfare" is used to delegitimize Indigenous Nations land claims and rights today, but through the Royal Proclamation, Treaty of Niagara and other Treaties in Canada, this point becomes moot.
Anishinaabeg
The Anishinaabeg, also known as the Three Fires Confederacy, are made up of Odawa, Pottawatomie and Ojibwe Nations. Chippewas of the Thames First Nation are a distinct First Nation within the Anishinaabeg Nations. The Anishinaabeg migrated inwards from the East coast many centuries ago, in search of wild rice, or "where the food grows on the water," becoming Great Lakes Peoples, with territories spanning from eastern Ontario to mid-western US.
"Chippewas of the Thames First Nation is an Anishinabeg Ojibwe community established in 1760 along the banks of the Thames River, originally called Deshkan Ziibiing (Antler River) 20 km southwest of London. The land base comprises 3,331 hectares of unceded land in Southwestern Ontario and falls within the Longwoods Treaties (1818–1822)." (Brunette & Richmond, 2017)
"Chippewas of the Thames is one of several nations that were party to the London Township Treaty of 1796. Descendants of the modern-day communities of Bkejwanong (Walpole Island), Chippewas of Kettle & Stoney Point, Aamjiwnaang and Caldwell First Nations are included in the London Township Treaty of 1796 as well as Alexander McKee (on behalf of the Crown) for the City of London. Today, the Chippewas are a forward-thinking nation with a strong grasp of Anishinabeg values and culture." (Brunette & Richmond, 2017)
Haundenosaunee
Haudenosaunee, also know as the Six Nations, or the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, is comprised of the Oneida, Mohawk, Onondaga, Tuscarora, Cayuga and Seneca Nations. Each of these Nations have distinct languages,cultures and stories. Where the Six Nations live today is the impact of the American War of Independence in the late 1700s. The Six Nations were forced out by Americans from the Finger Lakes and New York state areas. The Oneida people originally relocated from their traditional homelands in New York State after the 1848 Buffalo Creek Treaty and bought the land that they are located on today.
The Oneida Nation of the Thames, also referred to as Onyota’a:ka (People of the Standing Stone), is member nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and often refers to itself as the ‘Oneida Settlement." They are located a 30-minute drive from London, Ontario across the Thames River from Chippewas of the Thames and Munsee Delaware Nations. Today, the community comprises approximately 6,000 members. The Oneida Nation is a sovereign independent nation that observes both traditional and contemporary systems of governance and law. (Brunette & Richmond 2017)
Lenaapewak
Lenapehoking, or the Lenaape homelands, are alongside the Atlantic coast, as well as what is now known as southeastern Canada and the midwestern US. Many Lenaape were forced to relocate as American and British colonies sought to expand in the 18th century, including the ancestors of those who call Munsee Delaware home today. They came to an agreement with Chippewas of the Thames First Nation to share the land in 1840.
"Today, the Munsee Delaware community covers 1,054 hectares, roughly 3 square kilometres. There are approximately 600 registered members of Munsee Delaware First Nation with 150 living on reserve. The Munsee Delaware Nation is making great strides to develop their local economy" (Brunette & Richmond 2017).
This entire area is known collectively as Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Lenaapewuk territory, because reserve boundaries are imposed by the Crown and federal governments. They not the beginning, or end, of Indigenous territories and title. It is all Indigenous land, and what is under Indigenous and Indigenous-Crown Treaties, considered shared land. Acknowledging each Nation in this territory as well as each First Nation community recognizes their individual and collective sovereignty and self-determination.
There are an additional 8 First Nation communities located in southwestern Ontario. They are: Six Nations of the Grand River, The Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, Chippewas of Kettle Point/ Chippewas of Stony Point, Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Moravian of the Thames, Walpole Island (Bkejwanong Territory), and Caldwell First Nation.
It is hard to encapsulate all of these stories and histories in a single land acknowledgement. This is why it is important that the person giving the land acknowledgement has some sense of these histories between Indigenous Peoples and land, as well as each other, and in relation to the Treaties, history and ongoing colonization of the land and Peoples by the Crown and federal government of Canada.
“Today, 133 First Nation communities are located within the artificial boundaries of the Province of Ontario; within these boundaries also exists a complex interrelationship of treaty obligations, federal-provincial division of powers, statutory regimes, inherent jurisdiction, and constitutionally protected Aboriginal and Treaty rights; and a relationship where much reconciling must take place if peaceful coexistence is to be achieved.” (Chiefs of Ontario, 2006).
When writing your own land acknowledgement, you may want to reflect on:
- When say you acknowledge this is the traditional territories of the Anishinaabe, Lenaapewuk and Haudenosaunee Nations, what does that mean to you? What is your relationship to those Nations? To the local First Nations and urban communities?
- What reclamation and reconciliation work is happening in this territory? What Indigenous organizations are in this territory?
- What reclamation and healing work are First Nation communities near me engaged in? How can I support this work?
Urban Indigenous Demographics in London, ON
In London, and many cities in Ontario and across Canada, there are vibrant urban Indigenous communities. The urban Indigenous population in Canada is growing, comprised of diverse peoples from First Nations as well as Métis, and Inuit. However, this Guide is an inadequate source of information on Métis, and Inuit populations in London at this time.
In Ontario alone, more than half of the Indigenous population now lives in cities. There are many factors that lead to urbanization among Indigenous people, including the desire to pursue higher education, the availability of healthcare, and access to employment opportunities. It is important to note that Indigenous people are over-represented in many houselessness populations in urban centres such as Toronto, Winnipeg and London.
Some stats about Indigenous populations in London:
- 2.6 percent of London residents identify as Indigenous - either First Nations, Métis or Inuit (Brunette & Richmond 2017)
- London is home to the 6th largest Indigenous population in Ontario (Brunette & Richmond 2017)
- 2.9 percent of London residents identify as having Indigenous ancestry
- 46 percent of the identified Indigenous people in London are Status Indians (Brunette & Richmond 2017)
- 30% of unhoused people in London identify as Indigenous (Atlohsa Giweteshkad Homelessness Strategic Plan)
- Over 500 Indigenous students attend Western University, as well as over 500 Indigenous students attend Fanshawe College
ok but what about the chonnonton?
(aka attawandaron)
"I feel like there is a glossing over of colonial violence in the current land acknowledgements for this territory, and a dependence on a narrative that romanticizes Attawandaron Wendat (Chonnonton) occupation to remove accountability for the violence they experienced because of colonialism." - Summer Bressette, Chippewas of Kettle & Stony Point
This quote by Summer Bressette demonstrates one of the major criticisms of Land Acknowledgements - that they do not capture the ongoing settler-colonial violence against Indigenous peoples in what is now known as Canada. Land acknowledgements from settler positionalities ideally should acknowledge complicity in settler-colonialism. As an institution, rooted in Euro-centric knowledge production, Western University plays a role in the ongoing settler-colonialism of Indigenous peoples. Consider how your discipline has erased/impacted Indigenous Peoples, and engage in decolonizing critical lenses when learning local histories and narratives from non-Indigenous sources.
Previous Land Acknowledgements at Western University acknowledged a Nation referred to as "Attawandaron." If you listen to the OII's Mbwaachi'diwag episode with Summer Bressette, she mentions that is not the name they called themselves. They were referred to as "Neutral" by the French, due to their neutrality between the colony and the Haudenosaunee. "Attawandaron" is what the Wendat Peoples would call them, and the name they called themselves is allegedly unknown (D'arcy, 2018. 4). However, Chonnonton has emerged as the name the Attawandaron called themselves though concrete sources remain abstract. The Wendat were referred to by the French as "Huron" and also have historical and ancestral ties to this land, and could also be included in a Land Acknowledgement for this territory.
In reflecting upon how Euro-centric and colonial lenses impact how and what we know about Indigenous histories, much of what is known about the Chonnonton comes from the archaeological sites in this territory, and the research by settler-scholars at Western and other institutions. It was a geology professor at Western University, Dr. Solon Woolverton, who saw research potential in the not-yet-labelled-Lawson-site in the late 1800s. Introducing the site to David Boyle, Ontario's first professional archaeologist of the Provincial Museum in 1894, they conducted initial archaeological investigations on the site between 1895 and 1920.
Reflection Questions:
- What do I know about local Indigenous perspectives and histories, and how do I know that?
- What is my institution/organization/department/field/municipal, provincial and federal governments doing about Reconciliation? How am I holding them, and other institutions accountable?
- How has colonization impacted these communities? How has my discipline/field imposed settler-colonial structures and systems on Indigenous Peoples?
- How are settler-colonial structures upheld in our event/meeting/course/discipline/field?
indigenous presence in this territory since time immemorial
This area has been occupied by Indigenous Peoples for over 10 000 years, and this is confirmed by the oral history of local Nations, and archaeological sites like Lawson at the Museum of Archaeology. The Chonnonton occupied what is now known as the Southwold Earthworks until at least 1650. They were part of the Neutral Confederacy, one of the largest Indigenous populations, observed by Jesuit missionary records, and their territories spanned southwestern Ontario (London-Hamilton-Niagara region) and into the United States, very similar to the map of Beaver Hunting Grounds, pictured right.
The Beaver Wars are often attributed to the disappearance/diaspora of the Chonnonton and other Neutral Nations from the area. In many texts the narrative reads that the Neutral Nations were dispersed through "intertribal warfare," and the Haudenosaunee, specifically the Seneca, however this perspective leaves out the roles the French, British and Dutch colonizers, in the 16th century - and later the American colonies in the 17th century - had in the massive economic and political disruption, as well as health crisis, that all the Indigenous Nations in many different territories were facing at that time. Indigenous Scholar Susan Hill of Six Nations writes:
"The competition caused diplomatic and physical struggles over control of hunting territories and trade regulation with the various European nations. Beyond the economic factors involved in the trade competition, the Haudenosaunee and their neighbours were also reeling from the massive population losses due to disease. The various Native nations of the Northeast were looking to rebuild their internal structures; many attempted to do so through the adoption of refugees and the integration of captives from competitors’ villages…. What some see as ‘imperialism’ might be better described as aggressive efforts to rebuild their communities in the wake of massive loss. (D'Arcy, 7; Hill 2017, pp. 88-89)."
By the late 17th century, the Huron-Wendat and Chonnonton were either driven from the territory, or adopted into other Haudenosaunee and Neutral Nations. The Canadian Encyclopedia writes "The last reference to the Neutral as a nation in French records was in 1672. Today, no Neutral nation exists, but their descendants are believed to reside in present-day Haudenosaunee communities, including the Wyandotte and Seneca-Cayuga in Oklahoma."
Whenever a Nation is deemed to no longer exist, it is important to refer to oral histories of local Indigenous Peoples and Nations. At this time we do not have extensive online resources to give the perspectives from Indigenous people in the area, on what happened to the Chonnonton, and will update this page as we learn more.
Image: Longhouse at Lawson Site (Source: Museum of Archaeology)
Credits:
Created with images by Design_Miss_C - "fall leaf maple canada" • Michel_van_der_Vegt - "wigwam native american bbq"Sara Mai Chitty; Museum of Archaeology (https://archaeologymuseum.ca/museum-secrets/