Land Acknowledgement

The Fort Erie Multicultural Centre would like to acknowledge that we are situated on the traditional land of the Attiwonderonk (ATT-e-Wand-ER-onk), Haudenosaunee (HO-den-O-show-NEE) and Anishinaabe (AH-nish-ah-nah-bey) Peoples.

This land is mutually covered by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, and agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy, Ojibway, and other allied nations to peaceably share and care for the land and resources around the Great Lakes. Subsequent Indigenous Nations and Peoples, Europeans, Settlers and Newcomers have all been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship, and respect.

This land remains home to many Indigenous Peoples and as we gather today, we express our gratitude to them for sharing their lands with us. 

At the Fort Erie Multicultural Centre, we are learning to be better allies through our participation in training about systemic Indigenous racism in Canada and our commitment to reflecting the experiences of Indigenous Peoples and their Land Treaties in our information, resources, and relationships. Though our histories are distinct, there are commonalities between refugee newcomers and Indigenous communities such as family separation, forced displacement, language and cultural oppression, and marginalization. We hold space for this complexity as we create a safe and welcoming community for newcomers on these Indigenous lands.