We are a group of artists, community members, and academics seeking to build mutually beneficial education and art partnerships between settlers and Indigenous artists and communities.
Our long-term goal is connecting the new Creative Technologies program at York University’s new Markham campus with Indigenous communities in the area to support local priorities and ensure our students understand the history and future of this land.
Currently we are creating new land-based Experiential Education programming in Creative Technologies at Keele and Markham and training team members in trauma awareness and cultural competency, with the long term goal of decolonizing/Indigenizing education.We are continuing to build relationships between Treaty holders, local knowledge keepers and Elders, university students, professors and staff, young artists, and possible research partners, to keep thinking about what this Indigenous Advisory Council might do and might become in the future, what our collaborative projects might grow into, and how this might impact a next generation of teachers and learners.
This project is led by Dr. Rebecca Caines and the Faculty team in Creative Technologies at York University Markham Campus, guided by a number of knowledge keepers including Clay Shirt, and Phil Cote, and our Circle members.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land that the York University campuses are on, the Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Wendat. It is now home to many First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities. This territory is subject of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement to peaceably share and care for the Great Lakes region. The territories in the Markham area are covered by the Upper Canada Treaties. We also acknowledge the current land claims for the Rouge Tract by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. This land acknowledgement is in process as together, we continue to learn more about the land of the Markham campus and its history.