The County Foundation hosted a knowledge-sharing session on May 10, 2024 featuring Callie Hill, Executive Director of the Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na Language and Cultural Centre (TTO) in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. This event offered Prince Edward County organizations an opportunity to explore TTO’s programs and discover potential collaborations with Indigenous organizations.
Callie Hill gave an in-depth overview and context on the loss of Mohawk language, culture and land. Following this, she provided information on the work of Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na (TTO) starting in the late 90’s to support the reclamation of language and culture and how their programming supports learners of all ages (children and adults). TTO is now undergoing a large capital project to build a new centre, $9.6M was secured through Infrastructure Canada for the project.
Q=What can local employers do to support Indigenous peoples in the workplace and hiring process?
A= It depends on what the employer is hoping to achieve. Is it for employees or customers? More context would be required to fully provide an answer, but as always more learning and curiosity is a good start.
Q=There was much discussion around land acknowledgements, are they meaningful? Would a land apology be better? What is the best way to go about this?
A=There are many different feelings about land acknowledgements. Callie emphasized that they are a responsibility for settlers, not Indigenous peoples. She also mentioned making connections with other Indigenous groups, in particular those that are native to the County.
Q=There were questions around whether TTO and other Mohawk organizations are receiving support from the Province.
A=Yes they are but everything is proposal (grant) based.
Comment = County Kids Read introduced the group to their collection of children’s books that are centered around Indigenous themes and authored by Indigenous writers.
Comment = PEC Arts Council shared their collaboration with TTO on the Indigenous Voices Fund.
Comment = Chris Palmer from the County museums discussed the collaborative efforts involved in creating the Path Forward exhibit at the Macaulay Museum.
Resources & Follow-up Ideas
Callie mentioned the reenactment event with Mohawks Bay of Quinte over the May long weekend. https://southeasternontario.ca/travel_guides/tyendinaga-this-summer-copy/
TTO’s website: https://tto-kenhteke.org/
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Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte https://mbq-tmt.org/
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Land acknowledgement resources:
- Native Land https://native-land.ca/resources/territory-acknowledgement/
- Queen’s University: https://www.queensu.ca/ctl/resources/decolonizing-and-indigenizing/land-acknowledgements
- UBC: https://guides.library.ubc.ca/distance-research-xwi7xwa/landacknowledgements
ReconciliACTION plans: https://nctr.ca/reconciliaction-plans/
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: https://nctr.ca/
Native Land digital map showing territories and native lands https://native-land.ca/
Examples of local collaborative efforts:
- PEC Arts Council’s Indigenous Voices fund: https://countyarts.ca/indigenous-voices-fund/
- A Path Forward exhibit: https://tto-kenhteke.org/apathforward/
- The County Foundation’s Marjorie Sero Stailkovich Fund: https://thecountyfoundation.ca/grants-funds/marjorie-sero-stailkovich-memorial-fund/
This information session was facilitated by The County Foundation. If you have any questions, please contact Dominique Jones, Executive Director, at ed@thecountyfoundation.ca.
