Indigenous Solidarity Resources

September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, commemorating and honouring residential school survivors, their families, and the many who lost their lives. One day of reflection and commemoration is simply not enough and the legacies of colonialism & white supremacy are still ongoing today.

Truth and Reconciliation must be an every day commitment. Water Watchers invites you to collectively learn about and reflect upon the colonial history of Canada and the ongoing processes of colonialism, capitalism, and white supremacy that continue to threaten Indigenous lives and drive the climate crisis.

Below are some resources for learning, unlearning, and taking action to begin or deepen your solidarity journey with Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island.

1. Learn Whose Land You're On & the True Histories of the Lands We Call Home

There are many resources to learn about the histories that most of us were likely not taught in school. Many of us are guests on these stolen lands, and it is an important part of reconciliation to learn the names of the original and ongoing rightful stewards of the places we call home. Learning how to pronounce the names of the First Nations people is important, as is learning the Indigenous names of the lands and waters that support you (where possible). As Treaty people, it is important to know the names and true histories of the treaty partners.

For us, Water Watchers headquarters is based in what is now known as Guelph, Ontario - in Mississauga of the Credit Treaty Lands.

We are also bound to treaties with the Haudenosaunee People through the Haldimand Tract Treaty. Learn more about that here.

You might explore...

Whose Land - a GIS based app that allows identifying Indigenous Nations, territories, and Indigenous communities across Canada
Native Land - Our Home on Native Land which hosts maps of native land
Source 2 maps that can live on the walls of the spaces in your life from this government of Ontario site
The Moccasin Identifier Project to learn more about the Treaties of the lands you live on

This learning also includes learning the true history of both the Traditional governance structure and the Band Council governance structure of the Treaty holders on the lands you call home. First Nations peoples have long standing traditional governance structures that have been held for many, many generations and are often ignored in consultations. The Crown and settler governance at all levels (federal, provincial, and municipal) recognize Band Council as the voice of the Treaty Holders, but it is also important to learn the history of how this Band Council structure was imposed by the Crown - a system designed to mimic settler governance structures. Many Indigenous peoples in Canada reject the legitimacy of these imposed colonial governance structures and have sustained their traditional governance practices. As Treaty people, it is important to recognize the legitimacy of these traditional governance structures as well.

You might explore...

Protect the Tract, a Haudenosaunee-led initiative to protect the tract of land 6-miles on each side of the Grand River from development pressures. This land was promised to the Haudenosaunee by the British Crown via the Haldimand Treaty of 1784.
This Indigenous voices video series made from past Water Watchers events featuring content about historical relationships between Indigenous nations & colonizers, as well as the modern implications & manifestations of the ongoing dispossession of Indigenous peoples from their lands.

2. Show Up to Indigenous-led events

Showing up in person to Indigenous-led events is a great way to show a willingness to engage and learn. Doing so with an openness to decentre yourself and instead to centre the Indigenous people present is a proactive way to take steps towards allyship.

You might explore...

Are there any Indigenous-led Truth and Reconciliation Day events near you?
Are there other regular events open to the public you can attend?
Are there Indigenous-managed social media accounts I can follow to learn about Indigenous-led events happening near me?

3. Challenge Our Habits & Biases

Many of us have lived our entire lives imbedded within colonial, capitalist, and white supremist systems. Because of this, many of our habits, ways of thinking, and ways of being are guided in unconscious ways by the pressures & norms of colonization, capitalism, and white supremacy. These unconscious biases & actions can be harmful in ways both big and small to the people who are most oppressed by these systems, specifically Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour. It is important we begin to challenge and continue to unlearn these habits & biases that are rooted in these harmful, ongoing systems & processes so we can change them within ourselves and society.

You might explore...

Decentering Ourselves: There are many great resources on the meaning of "Decentering". Here is one resource to explore.
Taking an Anti-Racism Training Course: There are many of these courses available. The Water Watchers team specifically took this course offered by Selam Debs, a trainer & activist in Waterloo Region.

4. Consider Your Relationship with Water as Kin

Without exception, the Water Watchers team has heard the importance of deepening our personal relationship with water as central to our unlearning from the Indigenous people we are in relationship with. The premise is that we can access a different intelligence when in personal relationship with all of creation - and particularly with Water as the source of all life. When we treat water as a "resource to be managed," we engage in a very different approach than if we consider and treat Water as a relative.

You might explore...

Pondering these questions: How is your existence tied to water? Are you just working on water issues or can you allow water to work on you? How can your connection to water inform your practice, heal parts of your grief, or support your embodied well-being or soul?
The Nibi Declaration: Nibi means Water, and this Nibi Declaration is about respect, love, and our sacred relationship with nibi and the life that it brings. It is based on Gitiizii m'inaanik teachings about nibi, aki/lands, other elements (including air and wind) and all of creation. This knowledge will be preserved and shared through the Declaration with our youth and future generations. Anishinaabe-Ikwewag have a sacred responsibility to nibi and should be included in all decision-making around nibi. This Declaration will guide us in our relationship with nibi so we can take action individually, in our communities and as a nation to help ensure healthy, living nibi for all of creation.