Dear Editor,
I am writing to respond to the Editorial in last week’s paper. As part of the 3% of the North Grenville population who are Indigenous to Canada I have to respond to the remarks about celebrating Heritage Week in “our quaint little community.”
The editorial espouses the benefits of studying history and celebrates the preservation of historical information that is only connected to development by the settler community. As an Algonquin person who lives in my own territory, I cannot let this article go without comment.
I remind readers that this is still Algonquin land and it may startle many people to realize that there are no Indian reservations in the vicinity. The reason being that the Algonquin Nation was never treated with and no land cessation occurred. That is why there are no Indian reservations. It is still Algonquin land to which the Crown has claimed title.
I am a member and supporter of the North Grenville Historical Society and the irony of this institution celebrating only “Settler” history is not lost on me. It is my hope that any celebration of our collective history will not be one that ignores the original peoples who still hold legal title to this territory.
It is sad that much of Canadian history remains incomplete and many texts published do not adequately address the truth of Canada’s founding and the building of and development of communities that occurred by subjugating and displacing the original peoples.
As a courtesy, in the future, please try to acknowledge the Algonquin Nation and our territory when you celebrate your achievements which have occurred largely to our detriment and expense.
Lorraine Rekmans,
Kemptville
