Land Acknowledgement
We are the Chippewas of Georgina Island, an Anishinaabe Nation located on the southern shores of Lake Simcoe. The closest indigenous neighbours in education to York Region.
Our ancestors were inhabitants of the Lake Simcoe region long before the arrival of settlers. Chippewa Chief Joseph Snake, and his people first lived on Snake Island, one of three islands, (Snake, Fox, and Georgina) not surrendered to the Crown.
Our people have always managed to have perseverance in creating a new path for our First Nation. We have successfully settled 3 treaties, (Collins, Coldwater Narrows, Williams) in our fight for recognition of displacement and stolen lands, as well as our inherent rights to hunt, fish, and gather.
We believe in living well and good. In our Anishinaabemowin language, we call it “Bimaadiziwin”, living a good life. We do that by following our guiding principals, the Seven Grandfather Teachings. These were seven gifts given to the Anishinaabe people by the seven grandfathers. They are:
- Respect
- Courage
- Honesty
- Wisdom
- Humility
- Truth
- Love
Anishinaabe people have a vision of well-being for the next seven generations, as does Georgina Island. Our hope is that all people who walk with us on these lands, the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, share in this vision as we all strive for and enjoy that good life… Bimaadiziwin.
