In recognition of our place on the traditional territory of numerous Indigenous Nations, the Art Gallery of York University thanks the Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Anishinaabek who have and continue to care for this land. This land is subject of the Dish With One Spoon Covenant and Wampum between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Three Fires Confederacy (the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi), and other allied nations in an agreement to share land and its resources. We occupy land referred to in Crown Treaty 13, known as the Toronto Purchase, signed in 1805. Terms of this Treaty were not met by Canada until 2010, when the Federal Government settled the claims of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

This is a living land acknowledgement that recognises there are diverse Indigenous histories as told by Indigenous peoples. These histories continue to be unearthed from the suppressive efforts of colonisation to which we are accountable as we live and work on this land. We make this statement not simply in reference to the past and present but as an acknowledgement of our need for action to sustain this land and to support Indigenous ways of life.

AGYU through its staff and program have built a long and respectful relationship with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and is committed to maintaining and strengthen these ties through a continued allyship.