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Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

Melissa Atkinson-Graham, PhD, DC

IDRR Research Associateheadshot of Melissa Atkinson-Graham
melissa.atkinson-graham@ontariotechu.ca

 

Dr. Melissa Atkinson-Graham completed her doctorate in Social Anthropology at York University in 2016. She has held research fellowships with the University of California Davis, the Mind and Life Institute, and New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Atkinson-Graham specializes in medical anthropology, social theory, and qualitative research, and is particularly interested in participatory, anti-oppressive and anti-colonial methodologies. Atkinson-Graham obtained her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 2023.