The land this farm sits on is part of the traditional territory inhabited by the Attawandaron people. Other Indigenous peoples also lived in this area, including the Haudenosaunee, the Anishnaabe and The Métis nation.
This land is still home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
I have wanted to write a land acknowledgement for the farm for a while. “Land acknowledgements allow us to meaningfully reflect on physical space and the land we sit on by analyzing ourselves and our connection to the land.” (Source: On Canada Project)
I am a white woman. I am privileged. My ancestors were settlers. My presence on these Indigenous lands is part of that legacy.
The Attawandaron people who used to live in this area were also known as the Neutral nation. French explorers thought that the Attawandaron were neutral between neighbouring First Nation groups. The Canadian Encyclopedia tells me “The last reference to the Neutral as a nation in French records was in 1672. Today, no Neutral nation exists.”
This date astounds me–I know my reaction shows my lack of knowledge and my separation from Indigenous peoples’ experiences. Less than 200 years after colonization, an entire group of people were gone. Today, three and half centuries later, Attawandaron “descendants are believed to reside in present-day Haudenosaunee communities.”
The damage done to Indigenous peoples is phenomenal–and is still ongoing.
I am working to learn more about Indigenous peoples and their experiences and act to support them.
Living here at the farm, I want to honour the land and its original guardians. I am now responsible for how this land is used, how it is cared for, and how it is protected. I am learning about Indigenous land use, regenerative agriculture, and working to do the right things for this land.
My history and my status allow me to be here and live in this way. My ancestors faced hardships and worked hard. But their efforts were within a system that privileged people who looked like them, who lived like them, who believed what they believed. Their experience and mine is vastly different from Indigenous peoples who have faced generations of injustice. John Green wrote in The Anthropocene Reviewed, “If I don’t grapple with the reality that I owe much of my success to injustice, I’ll only further the hoarding of wealth and opportunity.”
I am trying to grapple with my reality and my place in the world and to take my own personal steps toward reconciliation.
This acknowledgement is part of that.
With thanks to the On Canada Project for their blog post about How to think about land acknowledgement meaningfully.
Home on 129 Acres 
Julia. Very thoughtfully written. Hope you are well. Rob.
Thank you, Rob. Nice to hear from you.
Well said
Thank you.
Beautifully written. What a nice and thoughtful person you are. So glad for people like you. I’m originally from Ecuador and years ago while working as a cashier in a gas station, this man furious because he wanted to pump gas before paying told me, “You f… Indian,” and other words I rather not repeat. I was taken aback because he said it as an insult. And you know what? He was Hispanic just like me. This is why I celebrate and I am grateful for amazing individuals such as Julia.
What a terrible experience for you. It gives a small insight into some of what Indigenous people face. Being aware and thoughtful is the first step. I am grateful for your thoughtfulness in commenting. Thank you.
This is a beautiful and thoughtful land acknowledgment. I’ve been thinking about these lately because they are commonly done here on Vancouver Island, and I know some Indigenous folks are not convinced they are helpful. I can see their point, especially if they are from sources from which racism and prejudice continue to flow. But what I have come to think about these acknowledgments is that they are important for us (white people, settler descendents) to do for ourselves. We need to acknowledge as often as necessary so that WE begin to internalize the enormity of what was done: the almost complete land transfer to ourselves without permission, the entire social and physical infrastructure built upon that, and the innumerable benefits to ourselves that have and continue to spring from that grossly unjust system.
I think you and I both have unique opportunities to take steps towards reconciliation in our lives. You have the farm, and the careful, respectful and thoughtful way you approach its stewardship is a tribute to the belief systems that Indigenous peoples have regarding the sacredness of the land. In your approach, you further their aims to protect it and preserve it for the future. I have my Indigenous daughter-in-law and three little grandchildren, who are a real life example of inter-generational trauma. I try very hard to be there for them in meaningful and practical ways, and to ensure those three children receive what my other grandchildren take for granted: an equal place in our family and the world.
I wrote a piece on my journey at eradicating my own internalized prejudices a few years ago. If you’re interested to read it I could email it to you.
You have articulated your thoughts–and mine as well–so well. Thank you. I would love to read the piece you wrote. Please do send it to me.