It all started when I found out my great-great-great-great grandfather was an Indian Agent near present day Cornwall, Ontario. Being 7th generation descended from an Indian Agent is not something you want to brag about. My Dad was telling a triumphant tale about our ancestor Robert Colquhoun who was sent from Scotland to become a textile merchant: one of four brothers sent abroad to Virginia, New York and Russia.  At first I wanted to pretend I hadn’t heard that part of the story. But I knew I had to find out more. Not just learn more: I wanted to do something about it. As a White Settler I need to figure out how to honour the Treaty promises that allowed my ancestors to come and prosper here in Canada. My Land Acknowledgement Shoes tell the story of my ancestors’ first steps in Canada.  Making these shoes begins my own journey of grappling with the Treaty responsibilities I have to the various First Nations whose friendship and generosity to my ancestors (and me) has never been returned.

Disclaimer