'It is a colonizer phrase and it will not be accepted,' Indigenous Richmond Hill resident says of land acknowledgement

Indigenous group negates the proposed wording of Richmond Hill's land acknowledgement

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 22, 2021
Yoyo Yan

It took years for Richmond Hill council to endorse a land acknowledgement, only to deliver a message some Indigenous residents deem "hurtful."

The land acknowledgement adopted Oct. 27 reads: "I/we would like to acknowledge that Richmond Hill is situated on lands covered by Treaty 13 and the Williams Treaties. Over several centuries, Richmond Hill has been traversed by many First Nations and is currently home to Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island."

"What was created is not a land acknowledgment. It is a treaty acknowledgment," said Jay Shea, co-founder of the newly formed Indigenous Action Committee of Richmond Hill.

According to Shea, land acknowledgment predates colonization and the Williams Treaty is considered to be one of the most fraudulent treaties created, with an open settlement of around a billion dollars for its wrongdoings.

Treaty 13, he said, is responsible for one of the largest land grabs from the First Nations in Ontario -- which was taken for a grand total of 10 shillings, equivalent to half of a pence.

"We just feel that there was not enough education through the consultation and report to understand how hurtful this message truly is," Shea said. "It (treaty) is a colonizer phrase and it will not be accepted."

Delayed for more than two years, council finally adopted the land acknowledgement, which would have been used at all city events and council meetings if the procedure bylaw was amended at Nov. 10 council meeting.

City staff said the statement has been developed in "thorough" consultation with First Nations and Indigenous communities.

According to staff, it should be the staff's role as representatives of the settler communities (non-Indigenous people) to write the wording after two consultation meetings with four groups.

But it was not even close to "thorough" for Shea. Shea, who is James Bay Cree, cited the University of Toronto's land acknowledgement statement as an example of correct wording to use.

That is but the first step. "Land acknowledgments without any actual, tangible actions to go with them are just empty," said Matt Bergman.

According to the 2016 census, there were 516 status First Nations people living in Richmond Hill. Bergman believes that number has increased, as that count does not include mixed non-status community members, Scoop survivors and other members of the community.

"It's safe to say that around one per cent of the population of Richmond Hill is Indigenous in some way. There continues to be little to no support for our community," said Bergman.

Noticing the lack of events and funding toward the Indigenous community in Richmond Hill, a group of five Indigenous residents, including Shea and Bergman, formed the Indigenous Action Committee aimed to create meaningful change.

Coun. David West, who proposed the original motion in 2019 but it was sidelined since, agrees the land acknowledgment is not the destination. "It's the first step through the front door in the journey that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has outlined very well and all the things that we need to do as municipalities and upper levels of government."

Some council members view the statement as "a living document" in an ongoing process, but Coun. Carmine Perrelli believes the allegedly "offensive" proposed wording should not go forward.

"That's not a good start. A good start is to do something that's not offensive to the community," said Perrelli.

Council unanimously voted to have staff have further consultations with the Indigenous community on the wording and report back to council on a revised version.

"The first peoples of Turtle Island were caretakers of this land long before colonization and our ancestors have endured so much through the assimilation practices of government at all levels," said Shea.

"We simply ask you not to insult the people before you and get this message right."