This territory is governed by two treaties. The first is the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant of 1701, made between the Anishinaabe and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an agreement to set violence aside and peacefully share and care for the land in the Great Lakes Basin. The second is the Huron Tract Treaty of 1827, an agreement made by eighteen Anishinaabek Chiefs and the Canada Company, an agency of the British Crown.
In recognizing these treaties, we acknowledge the complex boundaries that our two nations agreed upon. We bear witness to the fact that despite having reached an agreement, these treaties have not been honoured by settlers, which has led to the displacement and systemic oppression of Indigenous peoples within settler society. As an organization and a community of artists, we at Gallery Stratford are committed to learning how we can be better treaty partners and work alongside Indigenous peoples.
We as an organization encourage everyone who comes through our gallery, including staff, patrons, and artists to understand what this statement really means. How can we support Nation-to-Nation relations between settler Canada and the Indigenous communities of Turtle Island? This is a call to action that we ask you all to consider.