I live and work in the Waterloo Region. We are reminded that Kitchener-Waterloo, where I live, is situated on land that is the traditional home of the Haudenosaunee (Ho-deh-no-show-nee), Anishinaabe (Ah-nish-nah-bay) and Neutral People. We recognize and deeply appreciate their historic connection to this place. We also recognize the contributions Indigenous peoples have made in shaping and strengthening this community. Our ability to be working and living here now—in Waterloo Region, in Ontario, in Canada—is a direct benefit of policies of expulsion and assimilation of Indigenous peoples during the time of settlement and Confederation, and since. The harms of these policies are many and are still being felt in Indigenous communities today.
We have a responsibility, as such beneficiaries, to acknowledge and understand this history and the current experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, and for this understanding to inform the work that we do, so that, first, we can stop perpetuating the damages of colonization, and, second, to begin to repair them. Land acknowledgements are just one small, first step in doing this work.