Land acknowledgment

As journalists committed to maintaining a community-centred press that covers stories through a human rights lens, we recognize our responsibility to work with and honour Indigenous communities who are the true, original stewards of the land we call “London”. The original stewards of this land were also the first activists, resisters, educators, and storytellers. 

We live in a settler colonial society, or a society which is structured to place the needs, interests, and worldviews of the settler population above those of the Indigenous population. Opposition to this system must be rooted in a reframing of our relationships and a reorientation of our understandings of our shared history and present reality. 

The territory we write on is connected through the London and Sombra Township Treaties, the Longwoods Treaty, and the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant. The Longwoods Treaty established in 1819 and the London and Sombra Township Treaties established in 1796 document land surrenders to the British by the Chippewas Nation in exchange for annuities or one-time payments. Though signed by representatives from the Chippewas Nation and the British Crown, the integrity of the treaties is questionable: they were written by the British in legal jargon that was not aptly translatable to Anishinabek languages; included concepts related to land ownership that did not exist in Indigenous worldviews; and excluded requests by the Chippewas Nation. The Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant is commonly understood as an agreement established after European colonization between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Anishinaabek Confederacy to peaceably share and care for the land around the Great Lakes. The agreement is commemorated with a “wampum belt” filled with beadwork depicting a beaver tail – a white belt centring an indigo circle. The meaning of the beaver tail dates to pre-colonization, when Southwest Ontario was known as “beaver hunting grounds”. The agreement was a sacred promise to share these grounds – and the knowledge of all Nations within them – with “one spoon”, a utensil that symbolizes peace in its dullness and inability to be wielded as a weapon. 

In the region surrounding London, there are multiple First Nations communities: the Oneida Nation of the Thames (Haudenosaunee), Chippewas of the Thames (Anishinaabek), the Delaware of Moraviantown (Lūnaapéewak), and the Munsee-Delaware First Nation (Lūnaapéewak). Within London there are many Indigenous people from many nations, and we recognize that the City of London acts as a colonizing government in its own right. 

The Anishinaabek nation includes many groups, such as the Naakowe, Mississauga, Odishwaagaamii’ininiwag, Amikwaa, Boodiwaadmi, Ojibwe, and Odaawa. The Anishinaabek are the stewards of the lands enclosed between Québec, the Rocky Mountains, Oklahoma, and Ottawa, and share these lands with other tribes as well as plants and animals. Before European colonialism, a confederacy between the Boodiwaadmi, Ojibwe, and the Odaawa – called the Nswi-Shkodwin: Three Fires Confederacy – was established to navigate interactions with settlers. The Odaawa would form trade relationships; the Ojibwe would keep and share knowledge throughout the nation; and the Boodiwaadmi would tend to the strength of the three ‘fires’ (nations). 

The Haudenosaunee are a confederacy of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca nations. ‘Haudenosaunee’ translates to ‘they made the house’ – a symbolism for union. The Mohawk people – traditionally called the Kanien’kehake (People of the Flint) and composed of three clans – reside in communities across Quebéc, Ontario, and New York State; the Oneida – the People of the Standing Stone, composed of three clans – reside in Wisconsin, New York, and Ontario near the Thames River and on the Six Nations of the Grand River reservation, the largest demographic reserve in Canada; the Onondaga – the People of the Hill, composed of seven clans – reside in New York and the Six Nations of the Grand River reservation; the Cayuga – the People of the Great Swamps, composed of five clans – reside in Oklahoma, New York State, and on the Six Nations of the Grand River reservation; and the Seneca – the People of the Hill, composed of eight clans – reside in New York, Oklahoma, and the Six Nations of the Grand River reservation. Additionally, the Attawandaron is a confederation of the Attiragenrega, Autouaronon, and Niageagorega tribes; today, descendants of the Attawandaron reside in Haudenosaunee communities. 

The Lūnaapéewak, among the first Indigenous Peoples in North America to face settlers, now reside on the shores of the Thames River. 

As Antler River Media Co-op grows, we plan to honour our commitments to these Indigenous communities by: 

1. Ensuring that at least one member on Antler River Media Co-op’s Editorial Committee (currently in formation) has ties to at least one of these Indigenous communities and informs the direction of Antler River Media Co-op as community-centred, human rights-oriented press;
2. Routinely covering stories relevant to and in collaboration with these Indigenous communities;
3. Building relationships with these Indigenous communities, including, where desired, participation in, facilitation of, and dissemination of events relevant to these Indigenous communities; 
4. Routinely educating ourselves on the histories, practices, and ways of knowing of these Indigenous communities by seeking out texts, documentaries, or other multimedia by Indigenous writers and their allies, including media guides produced by the Native American Journalists Association; 
5. Maintaining an awareness of how our articles may reflect Western norms in our use of language and narrative form (and thereby reinforce a Western worldview), for the purpose of paving the way towards a pluriversality of worldviews implicit in our articles; and 
6. Educating journalists and the public on “the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations”, as stated in the Calls to Action given by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as well as cover areas where local governments are not living up to the other Calls to Action given by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Recognizing that ‘Antler River’ is translated from the Ojibwe name ‘Deshkan Ziibi’ —  the Anishinaabek name for the Thames River — we are committed to engaging with Indigenous communities regarding our use of the name ‘Antler River’ for our outlet. If any member of these Indigenous communities would like to reach us regarding the use of the name ‘Antler River’, we welcome all to contact us at antlerrivermedia@gmail.com or write directly to members of our board.

This land acknowledgment was written by the Editorial Board. If community members have concerns or questions about our land acknowledgment, please contact us at antlerrivermedia@gmail.com or write directly to members of our board. We are open to reworking our land acknowledgment in collaboration with community members.