Land Acknowledgement
TORONTO, Indigenous Territory-Aki
Toronto has been a site of human activity for 15,000 years. The land is the territory of the Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. The territory was the subject of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and Confederacy of the Anishinaabe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. Today, the meeting place of Toronto is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island. Natural Curiosity is grateful to be learning and working in this territory.
Revised by the Elders Circle (Council of Aboriginal Initiatives, First Nations House, University of Toronto) on November 6, 2014.
The Natural Curiosity team also frequently references this Living Land Acknowledgement written by the students at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study, and are deeply grateful to the students, educators, and local Indigenous partners who supported supported the creation of this living document.
Our Team
Haley Higdon
Program Director
Haley Higdon is a guest on Turtle Island and is the Program Director of Natural Curiosity. Haley was the managing editor for the development and creation of Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition: The Importance of Indigenous Perspectives in Children’s Environmental Inquiry. Combining her classroom teaching experience and strong commitment to environmental sustainability, Haley has provided hundreds of professional learning experiences for educators across Canada and beyond, demonstrating an inquiry-based approach to experiential environmental education that can in turn be applied in any learning environment.
A place in the natural world that Haley feels most connected to:
Most recently, Haley feels connected to the backyard of her childhood home. It began as a rectangular plot of grass and over time her mother slowly transformed it into a wild space with indigenous plants to attract pollinators, local birds, and wildlife. The recent death of her mother has brought Haley back to this place to reflect on its transformation over the years. It has reminded her that connections to the natural world are possible in the heart of the city and there are ways to give back to our non-human relatives even in the smallest of backyards.
Alyson McMullen
Program Manager
Alyson McMullen (she/her) is of Mushkego (Swampy Cree), Irish and French ancestry. She is an educator (RECE, OCT) whose work is centered around decolonizing education through land centered inquiry based practice. Alyson is a graduate of the Waaban Indigenous Teacher Education Program at York University. She has worked as a passionate educator in the public school system, committed to transformative education goals that re-centre the needs, stories and perspectives of the underserved and underrepresented.
A place in the natural world that Alyson feels most connected to:
Through the generous mentorship of Rebecca Beaulne-Stuebing I have been learning to grow, care for, and harvest asemaa in my garden. This experience has given me a deepened sense of living in relationship with the Land, even in the middle of the city. The lessons I have learned about the seasons, the moon cycles and myself through growing this medicine have been abundant. One of my favorite parts of growing asemaa is being able to share both the seeds and the harvest with friends and community. I look forward to many lessons from the Land to come!
Myah Birrell
Program Coordinator
Myah Birrell (she/her) is of Algonquin of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation and Canadian ancestry. She is an educator (OCT) and a graduate of the Masters of Arts in Child Study and Education program through OISE at University of Toronto. Myah has an undergraduate degree in Critical Gender Studies and is focused on creating classroom spaces that are anti-oppressive and justice focused. Myah is always thinking about ways that we can decolonize education through weaving Indigenous ways of knowing and being into all curriculum.
Place in the natural world that Myah feels most connected to:
As Indigenous scholar Robin Wall Kimmerer says “the land knows you even when you are lost”. I think about this often and remind myself that I feel most connected when I am paying attention to the nature around me and being intentional about it. Noticing how I feel when I really pay attention to the leaves on the trees, the small sprouts of flowers when spring starts, and how the grass feels right after it has rained Understanding how nature is interconnected right in front of us brings me joy, I learn so much from the land everyday!
Paula Tobey
Indigenous Program Coordinator
Paula Tobey (she/her) is of Ojibwe and French descent, of Beausoleil First Nation, from Honey Harbour, Ontario. Paula is a certified Indigenous Archaeological Monitor with the Ontario Archaeological Society and is a student in the Chartered Herbalist program at Dominion Herbal College. She is also a multi-disciplinary artist and creates nature-inspired paintings and jewelry.
Deeply committed to land-based advocacy, Paula is reclaiming her language and actively engages in cultural teachings, ceremonies, and crafting workshops to strengthen her Indigenous knowledge and identity. Paula plans to bring a holistic approach to her role, grounding her work in cultural resilience, creativity, and connection to the land.
A place in the natural world that Paula feels most connected to:
Driving north on Highway 400, just past Fesserton/Coldwater, you crest a hill and catch your first glimpse of Georgian Bay. In that moment, each time I drive that route, I feel as if I’m viewing the scene through my ancestors' eyes, despite the modern development in the area. Just a few kilometers further lies our exit to Honey Harbour, where my family has lived for over 100 years after our removal from our Beausoleil Island family homesteads. Although I moved from this area as a child, I always feel immediately at home when I am close to the Bay. The place where I spent countless sun-kissed days playing with my cousins, catching frogs, and foraging for berries.
Andreas Gross
Program Assistant
Andreas is Red River Cree-Métis and also has German ancestry. He grew up on Dish with One Spoon Territory in Tkaronto and recently graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Political Studies. Andreas is deeply committed to being involved in movements that address the impacts of climate change on Mother Earth and all living beings, and he is excited to be in a role where he can be a part of centering the importance of Indigenous perspectives in children’s environmental inquiry and the broader environmental field.
A place in the natural world that Andreas feels most connected to:
I’ve had the opportunity to participate in ceremony with my family and generous Knowledge Keepers on lands near Batoche in Saskatchewan, Norland in Ontario and on Algonquin territory at Kitigan Zibi. As a result, I feel a sense of connection to the land where these ceremonies were held. Additionally, a few years ago, my parents moved to Grey County on Georgian Bay, on the territory of the Saugeen Peoples. I’ve been lucky to have such a beautiful place to return to during breaks from school. Over time, I’ve developed a strong connection to the forests and trails surrounding our home, where I spend a lot of time mountain biking, hiking and running. Spending this time on the land has helped me to destress and feel more present – something I’ve really needed at times.
Natural Curiosity
Program Advisors
