I write today from the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and is within the land protected by The Dish with One Spoon Wampum agreement. Let us take time on this National Day of Truth and Reconciliation to reflect on our privilege to live and work here in Niagara, a community built upon such rich Indigenous histories.
We should reflect upon our responsibility to care for the land, and water, and the people who live here today, and the generations to come. We should take pause and make our decisions with intention and gratitude and in a manner that helps us to find the way to Truth and Reconciliation with the lands and peoples who have lived on and nurtured the earth that we stand on today.
A body of incredible knowledge has evolved over time where Indigenous people lived within the environmental limitations of this land. Through their biodiverse experiences, we have access to the stewardship and stories of the many peoples who traveled and traversed this land for so long.
Respecting the relationship of Indigenous people to the land and their cultural property is not something to be taken lightly. Truth and Reconciliation lives in the quality and quantity of conversations that we create and maintain, not in making ringing declarations and imposing closure on voices yet to be heard. Conversations in which the future is held to be a perpetuation of the past have no real chance for progress.
The concern for fresh water is not something theoretical and at a distance. The crisis is not in the future but very much in the present. I am grateful for Indigenous rights advocates across Canada who push on with struggles for fresh water. This is a struggle that all Canadians must share.
Our National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is a day of great promise. Our vigilance and insistence are needed to turn that promise into reality.
If you listen, the wind carries messages of truth, vision, and hope. Follow with respect, gratitude, and humility.
