Shé: kon [Say go], Aanii [Ah knee], Kwey Kwey [Kway Kway], Tanashi [Tun’shay], Greetings
As Mayor/Deputy-Mayor of Loyalist Township we begin this event (Name of Event) by acknowledging that we are being hosted on ancestral lands of the Haudenosaunee [Hoe-den-o-shown-ee], Mississauga [Mi-chi Sawgeeg(soft)], and Omámíwinini [O-maw-mee-wi-nini] Peoples.
Since time immemorial, the Indigenous Peoples have been and continue to be the stewards of the land. We are grateful for the opportunity to meet here, and we thank all the generations of people who take care of this land.
We have learned that the shores of Loyalist, the place of white rocks, were a traditional place of gathering, commerce, and peaceful negotiations.
We acknowledge and welcome the presence of all Indigenous Peoples, including the Métis [May-tee], Inuit [Ee-Nu-eet (soft t)], and other First Nations from across this vast land who also makes this place home.
The lands we are on today are recognized in the Two Row Wampum, Dish with One Spoon Treaty, Treaty 27, and the Crawford Purchase.
We recognize the past and present systemic harms committed against Indigenous Peoples in Loyalist and throughout Canada. These atrocities have resulted in continual intergenerational trauma and are enabled by racist attitudes and imperialist and colonial ideologies. They include the dispossession of Indigenous Peoples from their ancestral lands, and acts of cultural genocide by the Crown, the government, and the churches.
Today, as caretakers of this land known as Loyalist, we commit to moving forward together in the spirit of the Two-Row Wampum and Dish with One Spoon Treaty. This spirit is one of partnership and of serving each other. We will do this by respectfully acknowledging the enduring and continued presence of Indigenous Peoples to provide knowledge, wisdom, and counsel in this partnership. We will do this by learning about their history, language, customs, and traditions.
Our shared goal is to move forward, creating new equal partnerships that are built on truth, honour, and respect.
Nya:wen [Newo-wah], Miigwetch [Meeg-wetch], Marcí [Mar-cee] Thank You
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