By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HALDIMAND—”We humbly acknowledge that Haldimand County sits on the ancestral land of many generations of Indigenous nations, who have been here since time immemorial,” begins a newly adopted land acknowledgement statement, developed through a collaboration between the County’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee and members of both Six Nations Band Council and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation that will be read aloud at the start of all future formal events and ceremonies held by Haldimand County.
Human Resources Director Megan Jamieson addressed Council on behalf of the committee, noting how meeting with Indigenous leaders helped the committee learn “a lot about the local histories of this area as well as the agreements between First Nations communities and settlers.”
She continued, “Through these discussions, a number of themes arose and that was what we used to guide the recommended land acknowledgment.”
She iterated that a proper land acknowledgement is meant to be authentic and made in good faith: “It’s not meant to be lip service or words. It’s really important that as Council deliberates this recommendation that it is something you can each buy into, so that it can be a guiding principle.”
The acknowledgement is broken down into three parts. Jamieson explained, “The first part is meant to acknowledge the local lands and original occupiers since time immemorial, which is a step towards the true history. The second part is to acknowledge that the area today is home to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. What we’re trying to get at there is, Indigenous people are resilient. They’re here and they’re not going anywhere and the same can be said for settlers. We have been here for generations, and we too are not going anywhere, so the need is to find a way we can work together towards common goals and objectives. The third part is establishing what that commitment is and how we will work together in allyship.”
When questioned by councillors about the statement’s length, Jamieson said the committee felt strongly that in order to do justice to the intention of the land acknowledgment it was important that each of those three pieces is mentioned.
Committee member Anita Gombos-Hill noted that they looked at what other organizations have done, such as certain universities, adding, “What we’ve done is we created a land acknowledgement with the Indigenous communities, involving them in what they wanted. That’s very different compared to what other groups or organizations would have done.… We will not make any decisions concerning them without that, that’s why it looks the way it does.… We are very grateful for the cooperations we received from the First Nations communities to do this.”
Councillor John Metcalfe and Deputy Mayor Bernie Corbett thanked the committee for their work.
“Thank you very much for what you’ve done. You’ve done it in a short time; you’ve consolidated it like we wanted you to, I’m pleased,” said Corbett, with Metcalfe adding, “It’s concise and it hits home.”
County CAO Craig Manley added, “I think this is a really significant and important evolution of the County. The work that the advisory committee has done, the amount of effort that’s gone in to ensuring consultation, and the amount of thought that has gone into crafting something that reflects our local circumstances is evident in what is being presented…. I fully support this.”
Council voted unanimously in favour of adopting the acknowledgement.
Land acknowledgement statement
“As we gather, we humbly acknowledge that Haldimand County sits on the ancestral land of many generations of Indigenous nations, who have been here since time immemorial.
Today, this land continues to be home to many Indigenous peoples, including the Six Nations of the Grand River and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, as well as non-Indigenous settlers from a variety of backgrounds. As a community, we have a shared responsibility for stewardship of the land on which we live and work. We are grateful for the opportunity to work together and to share the land we all call home.
Acknowledging reminds us that our living conditions are directly related to the abundant resources of the Indigenous peoples. We commit to continue learning, reflecting on our past, and working in allyship with Indigenous communities, toward respective community goals and objectives, in peace, respect, and friendship.”
