This land in which we gather has been home and site of human activity for more than 15,000 years. We want to recognize this ancestral land, The Gathering Place, Tkaronto, which has been under the care of many nations in the past and will be under the care of future generations.
Turtle Island is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit, who are part of the Anishinaabe nation, the Wyandor Nation, also the Haudenosaunee Confederacy of Six Nations, and any other Nation, recorded or unrecorded.
We understand that the MCFN are the Treaty holders and a land acknowledgement is not enough to recognize centuries of genocide and inequality to those who have been calling this land home before the arrival of new settlers.
We have been welcomed into the ‘Dish’ or the ‘Bowl’, a world marvel with privileged access to water, forest and nature, and it is our duty to continue to care for it, to respect it and all those who share this space.
The Dish With One Spoon is a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee that bound them to share the territory and protect the land. Subsequent Indigenous Nations and peoples, Europeans and all newcomers have been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship and respect
We are grateful for the opportunity to live, share, create and be a part of this territory.
We do not support colonial forces that undermine, distort or erase the vital role of Indigenous people in our world.