Where I Come From
Last week, my school celebrated Orange Shirt Day by incorporating activities throughout the day to explore Indigenous identity, culture and history. While spending the couple of weeks prior to Orange Shirt Day googling ideas on how to do so, I struggled with making sure I chose activities which were culturally appropriate as well as making sure I was well aware of the attentions I had when choosing activities.
A common theme I noticed when searching for how to teach through truth and reconciliation is, the first step is learning about your own roots and the history of the land one currently resides on. It is important to have an understanding of not only where your own heritage comes from, but how you have benefited from the land you live on now. Many people and organizations have started to research the land they are on and show respect by writing and creating land acknowledgements. This can be a subtle way to recognize the history of colonialism and a need for change in today's society when recognizing the challenges Indigenous people have had to face and are still currently facing. Therefore, I would like dedicate this week's blog post to teaching my readers about what I have learned about the land I come from. I will research who inhabited this land as well as Treaties which were created against this land. I will also include a land acknowledgement which I have written at the end of this post. I also hope this inspires those reading to do the same in order to start their paths to truth and reconciliation.
Location: I live in Etobicoke (area located in the southwest-end of Toronto, Ontario, boarding Toronto and Mississauga)
The tribe who inhabited on this land : Mississauga of the Credit First Nation, Ojibwe Anishinaabe
The Ojibwa people migrated to the south in the 17th century. The allies of the Anishinabe peoples, the Huron, occupied Southern Ontario and carried on fur trade with the French along the St. Lawrence. During this time, the Huron were rivals with the Iroquois who had succeeded the Huron people and occupied their land. At first, the Anishinabe were at war against the attackers from the Five Nations Confederacy, but won and by 1700, had forced their Iroquois back to their homelands beyond the southern shore of Lake Ontario.
How “Mississauga” received its name is uncertain. Some think it was was bestowed upon the people by the colonial powers. However, it has also been speculated that the name was given in recognition of their northern roots along the Mississagi River prior to their migration to the south.
The Mississauga people themselves have different opinions on how on their name was acquired. The Mississauga people who live near the eastern end of Lake Ontario think their name came from the Ojibwa word Minzazahegeeg meaning, “people living where there are many mouths of rivers”. The people of Mississauga at the opposite end of the lake feel that their name came from the word “eagle clan”, which sounds similar to the word “Mississauga” -Ma-sesau-gee, when spoken in the Anishinabe language.
Language: Anishinaabe
Language fact: “Etobicoke” means “place where the alders grow” in Anishinaabe. Mimico is a neighbourhood in South Etobicoke, along the Lakeshore. “Mimico” is an Ojiibwe word which means “abundant with wild pigeons” since the now-extinct Passenger Pigeon, a bird species that was previously thriving in South Etobicoke.
Treaties:
Mississaugua Cession at Niagra (1781)
Between the Lake Purchase (1792)
Brant Tract (1797)
Toronto Purchase (1805)
Head of the Lake Purchase (1806)
Ajetance Purchase (1818)
Treaty 22 (1820)
Treaty 23 ((1820)
Rouge Tract Claim (Submotted in 2015)
Land Acknowledgement:
Out of my deep respect for Indigenous peoples in Canada, I would like to acknowledge that I am living upon traditional territories of the Anishinabek, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Wendat peoples. I also acknowledge the land covered by Treaty 13 is held by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and Toronto is subject to The Dish with One Spoon covenant. I also recognize the contributions and enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples in Ontario and the rest of Canada.
Sources:
https://www.lakeshoregrounds.ca/our-aboriginal-roots
I Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, learning about the land you live on is a good first step. Many of us (myself included) were not taught even the basic facts about the land we grew up on. Teaching students about local indigenous communities and cultures will give them a foundation as we all work towards truth and reconciliation.