Indigenous residents call for land for ceremony, education

Land for ceremony is one of many suggestions to come out of a survey asking how Hamilton can strengthen its relationship with Indigenous residents.

Indigenous urbanites are surrounded by concrete, but the connection to natural spaces is central to their identity, culture and language, says Shylo Elmayan.

“All of that comes from the connection to land and understanding of land,” said Elmayan, who’s leading the development of Hamilton’s Urban Indigenous Strategy.

This week, partners in the project released the results of a survey on what action the city could take to make Hamilton a better place for Indigenous residents.

Elmayan said another prominent suggestion was a call for education, whether it’s more for Indigenous residents or training for city staff.

The survey found roughly 70 per cent of Indigenous respondents said they’d experienced discrimination while accessing city services in the past two years. About 80 per cent said they’d experienced it in the broader community.

The results are based on 513 fully or partially completed surveys by Indigenous and nonIndigenous respondents alike. Of those, 26 per cent identified as being Indigenous or having Indigenous ancestry.

Estimates of Hamilton’s Indigenous population vary, but Statistics Canada noted 2016 census data pegged the number at 17,665.

A wide range of suggestions was based on the strategic themes of land, people and spirit. Here are some:

• Respect and inclusion of Indigenous world views and teachings about land; • Indigenous people and leaders should play a greater role in political decision-making; • Indigenous-led training for city staff, police and child welfare workers to address topics such as implicit bias, systemic racism and colonialism; • Mentorship, practicums and employment opportunities for Indigenous youths; • Involve more elders and traditional knowledge keepers, particularly in health care. “We’ve heard a lot of enthusiasm and support, and we’ve also felt the expectations that action needs to happen,” Elmayan said.

The strategies co-ordinating circle, which includes city staff and Indigenous community partners, will be narrowing down the suggestions to priorities.