One such stupid question was, “What do I need to know to know about the Nutfield Tract in order to properly honour and acknowledge it?” I don’t really know what I was thinking. Was I looking for some kind of trite but poetic response like, “Well, you have to see it at sunset’s glow to understand the majestic beauty of the land …”

Thankfully I realized the need to censor some of my dumb questions before asking them. Land does not live in isolated little pockets. And the Haudenosaunee understanding of land is all about cultivating a relationship to it. I certainly was not going to build a relationship with this landscape in seven days. As for my quest of acknowledging the land where my ancestors first walked, well that was flawed too because in the Haudenosaunee worldview land and water are inextricably linked. I cannot understand or acknowledge Akwesasne Territory without learning about the water: specifically the Kaniatarowanenneh. My decision to include Dam Switches in my shoes was to acknowledge the huge impact the Saunders Dam has had on the Akwesasne community and Territory.

HEAR MORE