I want to acknowledge the lands that I was born and raised on which are the Ancestral lands of the Ojibway, the Chippewa, the Anishinaabe and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy tribes. The lands my parents immigrated to to seek a better life for themselves is also the land that holds one of oldest known treaties between Europeans and the ancestral inhabitants of this land which is now known as Niagara Region. This area is covered by the treaty agreement called the Two Row Wampum, which speaks to the two (the Dutch and indigineous communities) coming together in peace and friendship. We know through history that this treaty was not honoured in the way it should have been. 

I am a first generation immigrant who is settled in Toronto, ON. This area is covered by Treaty 13 and is the Ancestral Traditional Territories of the Ojibway, the Anishinabe and the Mississauga’s of the New Credit. This area is covered by the Dish with One Spoon treaty, which is an agreement between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee that bound them to share the territory and protect the land.

As a settler on this land I am responsible for caring for the land given to me by our Creator and to give back to the land that provides me shelter and freedom. It is important for me to acknowledge the lands that I am on as a settler and to acknowledge the lives lost in order for me to feel safe on this land. It is important for me to honour the ancestral lands as someone with Indigenous heritage to South America and the Two Row Wampum and Dish with One Spoon treaty by advocating for Indigenous Sovereignty and caring for the land and community around me. I will continue to learn and decolonize my mind to be a better community member in ways that centre the most marginalized and honour Indigenous traditions.

As a full spectrum Doula, community organizer and someone who engages with the Canadian health-care system I want to recognize the Call To Action, number 22, in the Report of Truth and Reconciliation (pg.163) which asks that we recognize “the value of Aboriginal healing practices and use them in the treatment of Aboriginal patients in collaboration with Aboriginal healers and Elders where requested by Aboriginal patients.” I will continue to educate myself on these practices and advocate for their value. I will hold myself responsible for collaborating and connecting with Indigenous run organizations to be able to better support community members in need.

I want to be the best community member I can be and for me this looks like continuing to decolonize my own mind and share what I learn with my community. In the Executive Summary Report of the National Inquiry on Murdered and Missing Women in Canada recommendation 6.1 asks that all media and social influencers to “Support Indigenous people sharing their stories, from their perspectives, free of bias, discrimination, and false assumptions, and in a trauma-informed and culturally sensitive way” and to “Take proactive steps to break down the stereotypes that hypersexualize and demean Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people, and to end practices that perpetuate myths that Indigenous women are more sexually available and “less worthy” than non-Indigenous women because of their race or background.” I will continue to use my platforms and access to resources to share and inform people about Indigenous women, girls and gender diverse folks and do so in a way that celebrates their humanity.