This is the newsletter for meeting of Nov 1st - distributed on Nov. 8th.
Tammy Webster, Indigenous Equity Consultant, Waterloo Catholic District School Board, and our Guest Speaker
Margie Warren, Sunshine Probus Club, guest of Lew Ford
Barb Arthur, Sunshine Probus Club, guest of Lew Ford
Susan Hallman, Sunshine Probus Club, guest of Lew Ford
Linda Corso, guest of Lew Ford
Louise McNeely, guest of Lew Ford
Rene Dapin, guest of Lew Ford
Happy Jar
Car Lottery
Our Car Lottery is about half-way through its run. Paul Rostrup, reminded members to continue to promote it through social media and direct contacts with family, friends and colleagues. Members are encouraged to purchase tickets on behalf of others (as gifts perhaps) as we cannot buy tickets for ourselves.
Committee chair Neil Swayze, thanked all members who have secured product for the auction so far and reminded us that items can still be donated and entered into the auction right up to the start on Saturday, November 6. All members have been sent a promotion package and are encouraged to use the materials to get the word out
Sip n’ Shop Event
Paul Rostrup let members know about an event that requires our assistance and will also provide us with an opportunity to promote our Online Auction and Car Lottery. It is at the at the Sip n’ Shop event at St. Jacobs Market in November. The Rotary end of this is being organized by Kitchener Conestoga Club as they are also promoting their Turkey Drive. This will be running on Friday Nov 12th and Friday 26th. About 5 volunteers are needed in total from both clubs. And members can sign up for the early shift 4:00 to 6:30 or the late shift 6:30 to 9:00. The volunteers will be working at the entrance and will also be working at a Rotary information booth to promote our events.
Here is a link to the event
Members will receive an email with a link to sign up or decline.
Five Club Membership Committee
Marissa Watkins is our representative on the 5-Club Membership Committee and provided an update on their activities.
The purpose of the committee is to promote Rotary throughout the region. Providing people with information about Rotary in general and all five clubs. They have developed a website at peopleofactionkw.ca and members are encourage to check it out. They are organizing the Sensory Garden at KidsAbility Clean Up project as an example of how the 5 clubs work together. More information about the next phase of the project will be available soon.
They ran an article in the Record on October 6 which can be viewed by clicking
here.
Program Highlights
Our speaker today was Tammy Webster, B.Sc, B.A (Hons), B.Ed, M.Ed who spoke on Indigenous Land Acknowledgments, the why and the how. Tammy was introduced by Lew Ford.
Tammy is Anishnabe Kwe of the Kitigan Zibi Algonquin First Nation. She is currently employed as Indigenous Equity Consultant in the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and has been there for 19 years. Tammy supports the education system in deepening its understanding in Indigenous ways of knowing and being as well as implementing the Equity and Inclusive Education Action Plan. Tammy has her Principal Qualifications, Master of Arts in Education from York University, Bachelor of Education in Elementary Teaching and Education from University of Western Ontario, Bachelor of Arts in Leisure and Recreation Studies with Business Option from University of Waterloo, and Bachelor of General Science also from University of Waterloo.
She currently sits as Anishnabeg Outreach’s Board Chair, a member of Wellbeing Waterloo Region Connector’s Hub, Sustainability Working Group and First Nations, Metis and Inuit Advisory and Advocacy Circle. She also held interim Co-Convenor for the Region of Waterloo Anti Racism Advisory Working Group and is a contributing writer to the Community Editorial Board for The Record. Tammy has also been the Co-Chair for Waterloo Region Aboriginal Academic Advisory Committee (WRAAAC), is a founder of Honouring First Nations, Metis and Inuit Graduation Ceremony, and sits on Region of Waterloo Children’s Planning Table as well as various working groups. She partners with many organizations to ensure that a First Nations voice is represented and incorporated.
Tammy somehow finds the time to be on boards and committees where she can present a voice for urban First Nations and ensuring that the voice is present in decisions. She relies on her circle of knowledge keepers and elders for input in areas where they offer more in depth knowledge and understanding. They help her remain grounded in decisions and ensure that the vision for future generations remains positive and healthy and includes an Indigenous lens. Tammy is a firm believer that systemic change will result from positive and professional relationships built acting and engaging as a critical friend, understanding how oppression impacts systems and systems changes and through a partnership that brings people together.
For Waterloo Region an appropriate Land Acknowledgment would be:
I would like to acknowledge that the land on which we gather today is the land traditionally used by the Haudenosaunee, Anishnaabe and Neutral people. I also acknowledge the enduring presence and deep traditional knowledge, laws and philosophies of the Indigenous people with whom we share this land today.
Tammy stressed that these sentences were created in partnership with the local Indigenous Education Advisory Council. It took almost 2 years to develop – considerations were audience, intent, and should be considered as a starting point. It was NEVER intended to be the only statement or acknowledgment.
Overview of Acknowledgments
The reasons for doing Land Acknowledgments fall into two main categories, that do, however, overlap significantly.
1. Politically Speaking
2. Socially Speaking
Politically
- Pre contact, territories were defined by kinship ties, occupation, seasonal travel routes, trade networks, management of resources, and cultural and linguistic connections to place.
- Post contact, territories became political boundaries assigned by the federal government
- Territory recognizes the political boundaries of treaties of a region (ie. The Haldimand Tract)
- Treaties are an imperative component to government and political relationships and is important to recognize the role of treaties and land agreements
- Not all areas under treaty territories but considered as unceded territory (ie. Parliament Hill in Ottawa)
Socially
- It is about recognizing the rich governance and culture that exists within Indigenous nations
- It is about placing ourselves in each other's home and willingness to respect the home (think back to all those words/thoughts you had earlier on ways you were made to feel welcome
- The act of acknowledgment, is a sign of respect and recognition, and you can’t go wrong with respect and recognition.
- Part of the point in making acknowledgements is to recognize how systemic and institutional systems of power have oppressed Indigenous peoples, and how that oppression has historically influenced the way non-Indigenous people perceive and interact with Indigenous peoples
- It is a STARTING point for further conversations and future commitments
Territory vs Land Acknowledgments
Territory recognizes the political boundaries of treaties of a region
Land acknowledges the First Nation, Inuit or Metis that are the inherent land keepers and the actual ground that we are standing on
FAQ’s
* What is an acknowledgment?
An acknowledgment is a gesture of mutual respect, peace and friendship. It is a welcoming and a gentle way of establishing a different relationship with the First Peoples. It also begins the process of reconciliation by realizing that relationships ought to be grounded in sovereign understanding and reciprocity. An acknowledgment can be land, territory or both
* Why is it important?
To recognize the traditional lands is an expression of gratitude and appreciation for the territory that we work/live on. It is also an Indigenous way of identifying and respecting oneself. It is like acknowledging that you are in someone else’s home. “Thanks for having me here at your home” (again, think back to when you were someplace new)
It is also an opportunity to understand the long, complex and intersectional history that has brought you to reside on the land and to begin conversations on reconciliation and relationships.
It’s about relational location – having an umbilicus to where you’re from and how to follow it. Recognizing that as visitors to a land, we have different societal, political role.
How can it be done?
Ways to acknowledge the territory …
- Signage at front foyers in a prominent/highly visible area of traditional territories (local or larger)
- Displays of contributions by First Nations, Inuit and Metis with contemporary lens
- Each morning during announcements
- Before each meeting, statement of acknowledgment/intention
- At any particular time
- Inform listeners how your acknowledgment impacts you
Ways to acknowledge the land …
- Have outdoor learning spaces
- Build a garden with traditional, native species
- Take off shoes and put feet on land
- Bring outdoor indoors
- Incorporate more native species of trees into outdoor spaces
- Incorporate outdoor learning/meetings
* Who does this impact?
This impacts all staff, families, volunteers, guests etc to your gathering or space.
* What do I want to acknowledge?
- Relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Metis
- History/legacy that has impacted the relationship
- How I can do things differently or how I can inform my system
For an origination such as ours she recommends that we develop our own Land Acknowledgment using the following as a guideline:
Part I: Establishing Yourself Within Context of Acknowledgments and Relationships
While going through these questions, try to ensure that the answer is grounded in understanding of First Nations, Inuit and Metis perspectives. Before the statement is drafted, here are some important questions to consider. As a group, faculty or department, begin by answering the following:
Question 1: Why are we doing this?
Question 2: What is the goal to doing this?
Question 3: How does this acknowledgment move the needle on reducing racism, systemic barriers, equity?
Question 4: How do I define relationship? Who/what do I have relationships with? (eg. community, self, land, others)
Question 5: Outline your connections and how you differentiate the various connections? (eg. physical, spiritual, social)
Question 6: How will I develop, nurture and grow a sovereign relationship with First Nations, Inuit and Metis.
Homework
Part II – Active Engagement and Learning.
How My Learning Informs My Understanding and Views
- Work on answering the 6 previous questions.
- When done satisfactorily, read on pre-contact relationships of First Nations, Inuit and Metis and how land base was used to inform social, cultural, governance and generational norms
- Expand your knowledge base on traditional systems and ways of doing
- Learn the geography of land base that you are on
- Develop a plan or common understanding of building, maintaining and growing relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Metis, with each other and with the land
- Draft a preliminary acknowledgment. Sit with it for a while.
Take your acknowledgment. Review the six questions again and add, expand, retract your original answers.
Redraft your acknowledgment accordingly. It is meant to be fluid, adaptable and personal…
Part III
Summary
Continue to learn about history and contemporary realities of First Nations, Inuit and Metis. Build relationships based on sovereign understanding.
Revisit your acknowledgment regularly. Analyze whether it still fits based on increased knowledge and relationship with First Peoples.
Use the acknowledgment to review other policies, processes and relationships that can hinder or impact the relationship with First Peoples.
Reconnect with land to understand the territory.
Contact:
twebsterkitiganzibi@gmail.com
(519) 588 4776
