Land Acknowledgement

We, the Canadian Dance Assembly, as a National Arts Service Organization, recognize our responsibility in reconciliation. This sacred land has been the site of dance for more than 15,000 years. We give thanks to the caretakers of this territory: the Wendat, the Haudenosaunee (The People of the Longhouse), Chippewa, and the Anishnaabe nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit. We give thanks to the nations recorded and unrecorded, acknowledged and unacknowledged, who also share the responsibility of caring for this territory. We honour the Dish With One Spoon treaty and our responsibility to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.

Today, the Meeting Place of Tkaronto (colonially known as Toronto) is still the home to many First Nations, Inuit, & Metis people from across Turtle Island.

We are grateful for the teachings of Indigenous peoples, colleagues, Elders, and peers, sharing traditional and contemporary Indigenous knowledge.

For the ability to dance and celebrate on this land.

For creative freedom.

We are committed to elevating Indigenous voices and actively seeking knowledge to deepen our understanding. We believe in sharing resources so that we can collectively honour and uphold treaty responsibilities, and practice on the land that we call Canada today. We are committed to working together to build a better relationship with each other and with the land.