Who came before you?
The History of your Place
Landscape of Nations Memorial, Queenston, Ontario
Most of the time, when we think of history we think of people. And, every place has a story of its earliest people (Indigenous) and those who came later (enslaved people, colonizers, settlers, immigrants, refugees, etc.). Perhaps your own ancestors are from one of these groups.
Indigenous Peoples
The word ‘indigenous’ means something produced, growing, native, or occurring naturally in a specific place. This can refer to plants, animals, or people. Indigenous peoples are the earliest human inhabitants of a place, who may also be living there today. Their identity is generally place-centered, which is why land is so important - not to own but to live in with knowledge and respect. They depended on the land to survive and had to know it intimately.
The landscape and living conditions now are probably vastly different - altered by development, farming, logging, mining, draining, and filling. Today, we live in a more technically advanced world, although not necessarily more advanced ecologically, socially, or spiritually. Today, most of us don’t have nearly the connection to the natural world as did previous inhabitants.
People and Place shape Culture
Hopefully, the stories of earlier peoples are remembered and told somehow in your place. Here in Niagara, we have a history museum, memorials and statues, and an annual weekend celebration of our First Nations peoples. It is through active remembering that we acknowledge and honour the role of previous inhabitants.
Just as geological forces shaped the landscape you inhabit now, the earlier peoples of your area shaped the culture you’re enmeshed in now. We can learn many lessons from earlier peoples about how to live in a place, where things went right and where they went horribly wrong.
The focus for this week will be on how your place’s earliest peoples are remembered - through historical documents, oral stories, events or memorials. Questions to consider. Who are the people indigenous to your area? Whose stories are being told and whose are not? Who else preceded you in your place, for example, ancestors or immigrants, and how did they get there? How did you end up in this place?
Practice
Find (or write your own) land acknowledgment for your place. This is a way of remembering the earliest peoples who lived in your place. Here’s mine.
The land where I live, now known as Niagara-on-the-Lake, is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples, many of whom continue to live and work here today. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and is within the land protected by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum agreement. Today this gathering place is home to many First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples and our standard of living is directly related to the resources and friendship of Indigenous people.
If you can, visit a physical site that remembers earlier peoples. Spend some time there acknowledging and remembering those who came before you. If there is no such site, well you can remember anywhere.
Please share what you discover in the comments or on Instagram, adding the hashtag #seeingyourplace2022.
Resources
This week’s practice might prompt you to learn more about what life was like for early inhabitants of your area. I’ve learned from my local History Museum; through books, events, and exhibits. The museums have so much information available online too. Can you find real-life stories of earlier people?
I wrote about Niagara’s earliest peoples here.
I want to tell you about the Voices of Freedom Park in my small town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. It’s one of my favourite places to reflect and remember. There are benches that invite sitting amidst the gardens and sculptures.
This town has had Black residents (enslaved and free) since the 1780s and it’s also where the first anti-slavery legislation was introduced in the British Empire. Enslaved people were brought by United Empire Loyalists who settled in the area after the American Revolution. There were also Black Loyalists who fought with the British and received freedom and land in exchange. In the early 1800’s, there was a “coloured village” here and the properties across the street from where I live now were part of that village.
This Black history has often been excluded from the history of the town. The intent of the park, dedicated in 2017, is on righting this wrong and giving voice to those excluded. One of those voices is that of an enslaved woman, named Chloe Cooley. On March 14, 1793, her owner forcibly transported her across the Niagara River to sell her. The Executive Council of the Legislative Assembly heard eyewitness accounts that Chloe was violently screaming and resisting. Her screams jolted the conscience of the community and served as a catalyst for the Governor-General and Attorney General to introduce legislation to abolish slavery.
The act, introduced on On July 9th, 1793, did not free any existing enslaved people, but it prevented the importation of new slaves and allowed for gradual abolition. It also set the stage for the Underground Railroad coming north into Canada. While Chloe Cooley was not heard from again, this act might not have passed without her resistance.
This is just one of several stories told. It, as well as the others, inspire me today.
https://www.vofpark.org/
I live in northwest Mexico, along the Baja coast on land that was home to the Kumeyaah people. The Kumeyaah are part of the Yuman language group that lived along the southern California coast and into the southern area of Arizona. They continue to live on several small reservations in some of the interior areas of Baja. Rancho La Bufadora, where I built my home, is adjacent to one of the largest sea geysers in the world, a popular tourist destination. La Bufadora (the blowhole) is in the California floristic, Mediterranean climactic region. It rarely freezes and is an arid area with draught tolerant vegetation bursting in green and yellow with just a bit of rain. I have a deep interest in nature studies and the time to dabble in gardening, photography and other contemplative practices. Kim’s programs resonate with my world view and I enjoy her reading selections and reflections.