The land where Toronto United Mennonite Church\nmeets has a history. Since time immemorial, Indigenous nations have known and\nloved the north shore of Niigaani Gitchigami (Lake Ontario). The land has held\nthe stories and hopes of groups including the Haudenosaunee, Wyandot, and Michi\nSaugig (Anishinabeg).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In recent centuries, the perpetrators of colonial violence sought to erase those stories and disregard the treaty relationships established over generations. As a Christian church composed of people of many nations, ancestries and stories, we acknowledge that we have benefitted from the breaking of promises and the theft of land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are learning the history of these lands and committing to being part of a future where Indigenous Sovereignty is honoured. We seek guidance through the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and we seek to be good neighbours along with all those who love this land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anishinabeg – AH-nish-nah-beg (or -bek) – a\nlarge number of Indigenous groups are part of the Anishinabe Nation. Some\ngroups of this nation (and other terms used for those groups) include: Ojibwe\n(Saulteaux, Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), Potawatomi, and Algonquin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Haudenosaunee – Ho-doh-noh-show-nee (or sho-n)\n– a confederation of Indigenous groups also called the Six Nations Confederacy,\nand called the Iroquois Confederacy by some Settler groups. Formed of five\nindependent nations; Seneca, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Cayuga, they\nadmitted the Tuscarora, becoming the Six Nations, in 1722.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indigenous – In-did-juh-nus – an\ninternationally recognised term for groups who are the first or earliest known\ninhabitants of an area, usually holding a culture related and specific to that\nland, and distinct from later arrivals including Settlers and Newcomers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Within Canada, there are three groups\nrecognised as Indigenous – First Nations, Metis, and Inuit, and each of those\ngroups have many constituent elements. Note, however, that not all Indigenous\nindividuals are part of an Indigenous political group (for example, a First\nNation).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Related terms still in use include First\nPeoples, Aboriginal, and Native. Be sure to capitalize this term when referring\nto an individual, nation or group who is Indigenous (if in doubt, capitalize).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Newcomer – a term used to describe communities\nand individuals in Canada who are not Indigenous, but who have arrived in\nrecent generations. This blanket term encompasses groups as broad as economic\nmigrants, refugees, formerly enslaved people, and their descendants. It is used\nin part to recognise that not all non-Indigenous people in Canada benefit from\nthe same privileges and relationships are more complex than simply Indigenous\nand Settler. Newcomers are considered to be \u2018Settlers\u2019 in that they are party\nto the treaties on the Canadian\/Settler side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Niigani Gitchigami – Nee-gah-nee\nGit-chi-gah-mee – The name, in Anishinabemowin, of the body of water that the\nGovernment calls Lake Ontario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mennonite – Men-no-nye-t – an international\ncommunity, part of the Anabaptist movement, Mennonites are Christians who\nemphasise the teachings of Jesus, including non-violence, and practice baptism\nand church membership as a mature decision. Mennonites derive their name from\nMenno Simons, an early leader in modern-day Netherlands, while today there are\nMennonite communities and individuals around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Michi Saugig (Mississauga) – the \u2018people who\nlive at the mouth of a large river\u2019 – an Ojibwe (Anishinabe) community who took\ncare of the north shore of Niigani Gitchigami. Despite negotiating treaties,\nSettlers continued to harass members and make their customary way of life\ndifficult. Eventually the Michi Saugig were offered land for a Reserve by the\nHaudenosaunee (Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation), and they created the\nMississaugas of the Credit First Nation (Formerly \u2018of the New Credit\u2019)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Settler – A term used for Non-Indigenous people\nand communities who settled in Canada, and their descendants, through\ncolonization or conquest, and as a result of treaties signed between Indigenous\nand European nations. Settlers are considered to be \u2018treaty people\u2019 because\nthey are parties to the treaties. However, since treaties do not cover all of\nthe land that Canada claims, and the Canadian government has a history of\ndisregarding treaty rights, Settler Canadians must learn about the treaties\nsigned in their name and work to establish the right relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wyandot – Wye-an-dot – also Wendat, an\nIndigenous nation sometimes called Huron, a confederacy of tribes that were severely\naffected by disease and warfare. Today their communities are located in the US\nand in Quebec. Related Indigenous groups include the Attawandaron (Neutral) and\nthe Petun (Tobacco).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of\nIndigenous Peoples – an important document setting out the minimum standards\nthat states must follow to ensure the survival and success of Indigenous\nnations. It was created over many years of consultation with Indigenous people\naround the world and is unusual in that it defines rights of \u2018peoples\u2019 rather\nthan \u2018people\u2019 – meaning rights that are collectively held by groups. Although\ndesigned to inform the policies of states, the UN Declaration (UNDRIP) contains\nimportant principles for any group to consider.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The land where Toronto United Mennonite Church meets has a history. Since time immemorial, Indigenous nations have known and loved the north shore of Niigaani Gitchigami (Lake Ontario). The land has held the stories and hopes of groups including the Haudenosaunee, Wyandot, and Michi Saugig (Anishinabeg). In recent centuries, the perpetrators of colonial violence sought to erase those stories and disregard the treaty relationships established over generations. As a Christian church composed of people of many nations, ancestries and stories,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"parent":138,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7574","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7574"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11008,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7574\/revisions\/11008"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}