(April 11, 2023)
Proposed Land Acknowledgement Statement
At their March 15 and April 5, 2023 regular Meetings, Council reviewed and supported the proposed Land Acknowledgement Statement for Perry Township. Part of this Land Acknowledgement includes the installation of a Commitment Rock Monument on the grounds of the new Library/Community Centre in Emsdale.
A “Guide for the Delivery of our Land Acknowledgement Statement” has also been created to assist Council and Staff on When, Where, and Who would deliver the Land Acknowledgement. At this time, the Township is waiting to hear feedback and recommendations from the Parry Sound Friendship Centre and area First Nations on the proposed Land Acknowledgement.
Through countless hours of research and review, the proposed Land Acknowledgement Statement was drafted.
And now it’s your turn! We are seeking public input, comments, and suggestions on our proposed Land Acknowledgement Statement.
Please send your comments or suggestions by email to info@townshipofperry.ca, by mail to 1695 Emsdale Road, PO BOX 70, Emsdale, ON P0A 1J0, or feel free to contact the Municipal Office at 705-636-5941.
Public input is open until Tuesday April 25, 2023.
Comments and suggestions are welcome from anyone within our Perry community!
Statement of Acknowledgement for Perry Township
I would like to respectively acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg peoples, specifically the Ojibwa, Potawatomi, and Odawa, under the terms of the Robinson-Huron Treaty #61 of 1850 and the Williams Treaties of 1923; what has come to be referred to by colonizers as Muskoka-Parry Sound. The territories under these Treaties include Wasauksing, Shawanaga, Magnetawan, Dokis, and Henvey Inlet First Nations.
Today, with their enduring presence, the Anishinaabeg peoples still regard Muskoka-Parry Sound as their traditional territory known to them as the hunting grounds, medicine area, and gatherings places, relayed to them through oral history passed down for generations.
Together, we honour all Indigenous peoples – First Nations, Metis, and Inuit – for their cultures, languages, wise teachings, and ways of being. Their stewardship and protection of the land and water has shaped Turtle Island since time immemorial. We acknowledge the injustices and actions of genocide, ethnic cleansing, stolen land, and forced removal taken by colonizers across Canada.
Together, we commit to learn, educate, honour, and take actions toward real truth and reconciliation representative of the Two Row Wampum Kaswentha of Peace, Friendship, and Respect between Turtle Island and European Settlers.
I am grateful to be here and I hope you are too. Let’s walk the path together in harmony for future generations.
Miigwech. Thank you.
Excerpt of Land Acknowledgement for Commitment Rock Monument
We respectively acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg under the terms of the Robinson-Huron Treaty #61 of 1850 and the Williams Treaties of 1923.
We commit to learn, educate, honour, and take actions toward real truth and reconciliation representative of the Two Row Wampum Kaswentha of Peace, Friendship, and Respect between Turtle Island and European Settlers.
Perry Township 2023
A Guide for the Delivery of our Land Acknowledgement Statement