Dryden Council has accepted and will move forward with a recommendation that the City adopts a Traditional Land Acknowledgement Statement.
The Statement will be read before official meetings and ceremonies in Dryden.
Cheryl Edwards is the Co-Chair of the newly established Working Circle and she talks about the significance.
“Gives time for reflection and demonstrates recognition of Indigenous traditional lands, also the Treaties and the people. It involves thinking of what has happened in the past and what changes can be made going forward.”
Edwards adds “Land Acknowledgements mark a small and important step in the process of reconciliation and building a positive relationship with Indigenous people. By making a Land Acknowledgment you are taking part in an act of reconciliation.”
Edwards notes “Using and participating in a Land Acknowledgment is a way to recognize the enduring presence and resilience of Indigenous people in this area or time in memorial. They are also a reminder that we are all accountable to these relationships. I think this type of Acknowledgement respects not only the relationship with the land but it also acknowledges the spiritual connectionless of all people. The land could survive without us but we could not survive without with the land provides for us.”
Co-Chair and Councillor Shayne MacKinnon says he’s encouraged with the development noting “The City of Dryden Working Circle has spent significant time ensuring that their proposed statement is offered in the spirit of respect and dignity.”
Mayor Greg Wilson adds “A Land Acknowledgment in Dryden is also an acknowledgment we are all inhabitants of Treaty Three land, bound by the rights and responsibilities found therein. A treaty is a reflection of our collective obligations to both the land and each other, and I encourage all inhabitants to take time to learn more of our local and regional history by reading this particular Treaty document.”
Members of the Working Circle include:
-Cheryl Edwards
-Lisa Kooshet
-Neil McLeod
-Ted Mitchell
-Lloyd Napish
-Councillor Norm Bush
-Councillor Shayne MacKinnon
-Councillor Michelle Price
-Chief Administrative Officer Roger Nesbitt
-HR Manager Jennifer Peekhaus
