A.E.

I situate myself as a settler with a distinct historical and political relationship to this land—shaped by the forced migration of Africans through slavery, the afterlives of colonialism, and the ongoing realities of anti-Blackness. I understand the entangled legacies of Indigenous dispossession and Black dislocation, not as parallel histories, but as interwoven struggles against colonial violence.

As a scholar of re-entry and policing, I recognize that the criminal legal system continues to police and surveil Black and Indigenous bodies through interconnected practices of criminalization, incarceration, and systemic exclusion, all rooted in colonial governance and racial control.

This land acknowledgement is a call to ethical and critical engagement. I invite all of us to consider our positions on this land—how we benefit, what histories we carry, and how we might move beyond acknowledgment toward accountability and relational responsibility.

We further acknowledge the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation as our nearest First Nation neighbours and friends. Let this daily land acknowledgement help us, as newcomers, to recognize our responsibility towards reconciliation. 

We desire to join hands with the First Peoples who walk with us today. We aspire to respect the lands, keep an open heart and foster connections amongst all those who inhabit the lands, as we look to the Creator for guidance and wisdom.

I picked this land Acknowledgement from my High School, because we heard it every morning before starting our classes, and I feel like it was a positive reminder that we are just visitors/newcomers on this land and we should respect it because we are not the original people of the land we live on.

It resonates with me because I come from a African-American background, my ancestors were promised a lot of things such as land and animals for going through slavery, however it was never given to them.

Before moving to Peterborough for Trent, I resided in Pickering Ontario. Where Pickering is today was originally the territory of the Haudenosaunee. This is an endonym of the six nations of the Iroquois confederacy: The Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. Haudenosaunee means the 'People of the Longhouse', a traditional house in which these nations lived in. Currently, I am staying at Trent University which is on the First Nations territory of Michi Saagiig, which means "People of the big river mouths" due to their reliance on the water separating the East and West bank. I respect and want to learn more about the culture of those who were here before me.

Hannah Ramirez

Madison S

Eden K

I am committed to learning more about the history ,Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Truth and Reconciliation.

References: https://www.ajax.ca/en/inside-townhall/diversity-and-inclusion.aspx

continue to make, on these lands. We must also be deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn from and care for this land today that still holds a great amount of significance to my life and the lives of many others.

I come from Quinte West, just an hour west from Kingston, and I learned that the Mohawk People aided the British Crown in the American Revolution, but the Crown gave up the Mohawk homelands at the end of the war. The Mohawk were displaced and settled at the North shore of Lake Ontario, on the Bay of Quinte. The land they settled, which we know as Tyendinaga, was the birthplace of the Peacemaker. The Peacemaker brought the Haudenosaunee under a constitution of peace in the 12th century that brought its 6 nations together, creating peace throughout the land.

I would like to honour the Haudenosaunee, the Wendat and Anishinaabe for their caretaking of the land, incredible resilience, and cooperation to create peace for all.

I situate myself as a settler to where I reside. I respect the land and culture of the Algonquin People.

AQ

Gesly Deffo

My family hasn’t always lived here, but I’ve spent most of my life in Embrun. That connection makes me want to better understand the land’s history and the Indigenous Peoples who have cared for it long before I came here.

https://www.russell.ca/en/your-township/land-acknowledgement.aspx

Ariana Schatz

I recognize the enduring presence of Indigenous peoples on this land and their deep connections to it. I am thankful to be able to live and learn here, and I will continue to reflect on my relationship with the land as well as how I can support Indigenous communities with respect and understanding.

We acknowledge and recognize the Upper Canada Treaties signed in regards to this land, which include Treaty #29 and Treaty #45 ½, and our roles and shared responsibilities as treaty people committed to moving forward in the spirit of reconciliation, gratitude, and respect with all Indigenous, First Nation, Métis and Inuit people. " https://www.hpph.ca/about-us/policies/land-acknowledgement/

This Land Acknowledgement is one that my home county goes by. I acknowledge that I live on the traditional land of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Neutral, and Wendat people and I am grateful to be able to continue to live alongside them today. I heard land acknowledgements much like this one every day in the morning when I went to high school, which was often a reminder and helped me to remember that this land is sacred and should be well kept and appreciated.

Audrey Gowing

We acknowledge that the Town of Newmarket is located on the traditional territories of the Wendat, Haudeno-saunee, and the Anishinaabe peoples and the treaty land of the Williams Treaties First Nations and other Indigenous peoples whose presence here continues to this day. We thank them for sharing this land with us. We also acknowledge the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation as our close neighbours and friends, and we work to ensure a cooperative and respectful relationship.

This is the land acknowledgment that we often recognize during ceremonies or assemblies. Moreover, it has been important to me to recognize that my homeland would not be what it is or capable of achieving peace and common ground in many aspects today if it were not for our ancestors and those who came before us.

References

United Way Greater Toronto. (2025, May 20). Land acknowledgements: Uncovering an oral history of Tkaronto. United Way Greater Toronto. https://www.unitedwaygt.org/issues/land-acknowledgements-uncovering-an-oral-history-of-tkaronto/

Every morning my high school announcements would recite our land acknowledgement in honour of the First People's and their culture that we are striving to keep alive in our schools and community everyday.

This acknowledgement recites "We respectfully acknowledge that we are on the treaty and traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg.  We offer our gratitude to the First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations.  May we honour those teachings." (peterborough.ca)

I will continue to honour respect for the First People's and their culture during my time at Trent University, as it is a privilege to be situated on such a beautiful campus.

Vienna Wiedenfeld

T.C

Simran Mann

• Wendake-Nionwentsïo

• Haudenosaunee

• Mississauga

• Anishinabewaki

Recognizing the historic events that happened to the Indigenous peoples has aided me in respecting their culture, traditions, and having compassion to them.

Olivia Buttigieg