The land that holds this work

I live and work on the treaty and traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig Anishinaabeg — a people whose relationship with this land goes back thousands of years and continues today. This includes Curve Lake First Nation, Alderville First Nation, Hiawatha First Nation, and the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. 

I offer my gratitude and reverence to the Michi Saagiig Anishnaabeg for their care of the earth and all of our relations. For their teachings, which have profoundly shaped who I am and how I move through and relate to this land. I strive to honour and respect those teachings every day, even when I make mistakes. 

I am a settler on this land. My ancestors came from England and Eastern Europe, and the presence of my family here is part of a history of displacement that I did not choose but that I benefit from and hold responsibility toward. The materials I work with — gathered from shorelines, roadsides, and forests — come from this territory. I am aware of that every time I go out to gather, and I try to hold it.

A land acknowledgement is only meaningful if it is connected to action. I am still learning what that means in practice — what it means to live in right relationship with this territory and its people. I offer this not as a formality, but as a commitment I am still growing into.

One of the ways I act on this is to make a yearly donation to the Mnoominkewin Gathering that happens annually at Curve Lake First Nation. The 2025 gathering was one I felt incredibly fortunate to attend as a visitor — a place for learning, connection, and the support of mnoomin (wild rice).