We acknowledge that this is sacred land upon which we are privileged to live and work.
We recognize the deep connection and the long-standing relationship between Indigenous peoples and the land of Southwest Ontario and of London.
This land has supported human beings for at least the past 10,000 years.
This land is the traditional territory of:
the Anishinaabeg (which includes the Ojibwe or Chippewa Nation)
the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois, which includes the Oneida Nation)
the Lenape (also known as the Delaware)
the Attawandaron (also known as the Neutral)
and the Wendat (also known as the Huron) peoples
By the year 1600, approximately 2,000 First Nations people lived in 30-40 long houses in the village of Kotequongong near the Thames River – long before European settlement and the renaming to London.
We acknowledge that, as well as the use of treaties – not always fairly – some land was stolen outright and that many Indigenous people were killed, intentionally or unintentionally, due to to the arrival of European settlers. First Nations cultures, languages and traditions were also decimated thanks to these new settlers.
Most recently, this land in the area we call London is the territory of the Chippewa of the Thames, the Oneida of the Thames, and the Muncey Delaware Nation. There are 11 First Nations communities in the region of Southwest Ontario, and over 120 in the Province as a whole.
Today, this land is still home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island.