ASCC operates on the sacred and traditional land of the Anishnawbe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples.

 

People have existed on this land for 15,000 years. Indigenous communities thrived before European settlers invaded. Peace agreements and treaties were made and they continue to be violently broken.

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We are all treaty peoples. So, we must be mindful of broken covenants and the ongoingness of colonialism. We all have a responsibility to uphold these agreements of peacefulness and non-interference. This land, along with the rest of Turtle Island (known as North America), has become occupied by settlers, like the co-founders of ASCC, over generations using colonial acts such as state-sanctioned oppression, violence, murder, and the attempted control of Indigenous peoples. Control mechanisms such as the creation of reserves, the Indian Act, residential schools, the theft of children from their families, criminalization of ceremonies, stolen land and resources, and ingrained stereotypes in the settler population have allowed a situation where the history of this land is not often discussed. And – when it is – the violent and oppressive nature is too often left out. It is imperative that we centre our ongoing community engagement and research about consent on the fact that we're talking about this in spaces that exists today due to a long, non-consensual history.