On this day, we reflect on our willing blindness to the deprivations and hardships imposed on the Indigenous Peoples of this land. We resolve to move forward towards reconciliation by amplifying Indigenous voices and through support for Indigenous organizations (starting with donations to Indian Residential School Survivors Society and the Native Arts Society & Indigenous Harm Reduction).

MILDRED’S Temple Kitchen is situated on lands and waterways that have known human activity for thousands of years. We are privileged today to be able to enjoy the benefits of this land, which supports all that we do. The original caretakers of this territoryhave always known how to benefit from the land and water, and still ensure that future generations will have what they need to live.

The area of northern Lake , where the City of Toronto is now located, has been the territory of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy of Six Nations, which includesthe Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Mohawk, Seneca and Tuscarora, and the Wyandot Nation. More recently, this is also the territory of Treaty 13 with the of the Credit, who are part of the Nation. Other nations, recorded and not recorded, also made this area their home.

The Dish with One Spoon is a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee that bound them to share this territory and protect the land. The “dish”represents the land that is to be shared peacefully and the “spoon” represents the individuals living on and using the resources of the land in a spirit of mutual cooperation. Subsequent Indigenous Nations and all newcomers, have been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship and respect.Today, Toronto is still home to Indigenous, Inuit and Métis people. Miigwetch, nya:weh, merci and thank you to the people on whose territory we are able to live and thrive. We pledge to turn our acknowledgement into action and to be partners in the care for the land and water.