This year, the Rotary Club of Fonthill began sharing a Land Acknowledgement at the beginning of each of its meetings. Sharing the Land Acknowledgement is an honest way to acknowledge the Indigenous people who have principal kinship to the land on which we live. Acknowledging the original caretakers of the land is an important step in the truth and reconciliation process.
When speaking to club members about the Land Acknowledgement, Brian Kon, a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Niagara Falls Sunrise said that “while the Land Acknowledgement is important, it is also very important to learn about Indigenous Peoples in communities.”
The Rotary Club of Fonthill uses the following Land Acknowledgement:
We begin this gathering by acknowledging the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples, many of whom continue to live and work here today. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and is within the land protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum agreement. Today this gathering place is home to many First Nations, Metis, Inuit people and acknowledging reminds us that our great standard of living is directly related to the resources and friendship of Indigenous people.
Other clubs will want to ensure they use a Land Acknowledgement accepted by their local Indigenous community.