Declaration of Acknowledgement of Traditional Territories

Declaration of Traditional Territories

The CoAction Staff Association has adopted a Declaration of Acknowledgement of Traditional Territories.

We are guided by the following advice from the Canadian Association of University Teachers.

Acknowledging territory shows recognition of and respect for Aboriginal Peoples. It is recognition of their presence both in the past and the present. Recognition and respect are essential elements of establishing healthy, reciprocal relations. These relationships are key to reconciliation.

Our Declaration is modelled on the one used by Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto as follows:

As we gather together at <<PLACE OF GATHERING>>, we acknowledge this sacred land where we meet.

It has been a site of human activity for 15,000 years.

This land is the territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River.

The territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and Confederacy of the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share andcare for the resources around the Great Lakes.

Today, the meeting place of Toronto is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work in the community, on this territory.

We are also mindful of broken covenants and the need to strive to make right with all our relations.

Download PDF copy of the Declaration of Traditional Territories