Connecting Indigenous Placemakers Highlights ReportCitation: Latulippe, Whaanga-Schollum & Livesey (2022) Connecting Indigenous Placemakers Highlights Report
Abstract (summary): Connecting Indigenous Placemakers was a week-long practitioners’ retreat and one-day public symposium held on Menecing, the Toronto Island (Treaty 13a). It was supported by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) and Ngā Aho Māori Designers’ Network. Based on the success in Aotearoa New Zealand of supporting Indigenous placemaking practitioners and shaping opportunities through a network, the 2019 gathering created a supportive space for Indigenous creatives to be on the land, work on collective and individual projects, build relationship with one another, share knowledge, and shape broader discourse on Indigenous placemaking in Toronto. As retreat participants integrated the teachings of Menecing, the Treaty Lands and Territory of the MCFN and a gathering place of many Nations, the group began referring to the project as Maanjiwe Nendamowinan, the Gathering of Minds. This co-creative experience made clear the primacy of Place (an entity with a specific identity). That is, “we don’t make place – Place makes us”. Grounded in Menecing and in dialogue with many voices, we present highlights and key themes to emerge from the gathering: Connecting with and caring for Place; Nourishment and healing; and Gathering strength.
