Land Acknowledgment

TO Live would like to acknowledge Tkaronto (TKahr-on-dOnH), which is a Mohawk word meaning “the place in the water where the trees are standing.” We live and work on the traditional territory of Haudenosaunee (HODE-en-oh-show-nee)-speaking nations, including the Huron-Wendat, Seneca, and Mohawk. Haudenosaunee-speaking nations have been here since time immemorial, & were more recently joined by the Mississaugas of the Credit.

This place has many Indigenous ports, including where the Humber and Rouge rivers meet other waterways such as Lake Ontario. Ancient longhouses—typical Haudenosaunee housing structures—have been found along both of these Rivers and in the north of Toronto as well (near modern-day York University). This territory is covered by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) Confederacy and the Anishnaabe (Ojibwe) and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the lands and the relationships around the Great Lakes.

...What this means is that by living and working here, we all have a responsibility to the environment and to each other, to treat each other and the environment with peace & respect. This means we have responsibilities to honour, renew, and consistently uphold the values and relationships outlined in the ancient agreements.

Today, Toronto is home to Indigenous peoples and settlers from around the world. Let us all come together in an atmosphere of respect and peace to do Good Work together with Good Minds. Let’s start building stronger and healthier relationships with each other, and the spaces which we inhabit in Tkaronto (TKahr-ON-donH), Ontari:io (on-dahr-EE-yo), Kanata (Gan-AH-dah). Let’s hold our minds together in kindness.

Nia:wen. Thank you.