“I (we) wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Wendat Nation, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.” 1
Land Acknowledgements are only a starting point for larger conversations. More concrete acts of restitution and transformation are needed to address underlying inequities and blatant discrimination in the distribution of resources between Canada’s first peoples and settlers.
Members of the Department of Medicine are encouraged to incorporate a land acknowledgement at the outset of all educational activities, meetings, presentations, and other formal gatherings. The text above, written by Umberin Najeeb, Vice Chair, Culture & Inclusion can be used for this purpose by any department member.
