Elders to teach London newcomers Indigenous history in new workshop series

Kendra Seguin · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 20 minutes ago

Mary-Anne Kechego believes newcomers to Canada person a work arsenic soon arsenic they measurement foot in the country to  marque an effort to recognize Indigenous history. 

That is wherefore Kechego, who is from Oneida Nation of the Thames turtle clan, volition beryllium co-leading a caller lawsuit bid astatine the South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre (SLNRC) that aims to link caller Londoners with Indigenous communities.

"It's been my acquisition moving with antithetic newcomers implicit the years that they don't larn a full batch erstwhile they go a Canadian citizen," Kechego said. "They hardly larn immoderate past astir Indigenous radical successful Canada, and surely not the atrocities that were inflicted upon america implicit the years."

"[The event] is simply a mode of teaching them what their roles and responsibilities are, present successful Canada arsenic newcomers."

Indigenous-Newcomer Connection is an eight-part series, held play astatine the SLNRC passim May and June. Each week, newcomers volition surface a video astir Indigenous past past enactment successful a sharing ellipse with 2 Indigenous leaders to sermon the content, said SLNRC programme cognition manager Eman Al Sayyah.

"Not everything is wide for [newcomers] astatine the beginning, and there's a batch of accusation to supply to them" Al Sayyah said. "For them to larn straight from a idiosyncratic who is Indigenous and who has lived present each their beingness volition beryllium wonderful."

Newcomer Magaly Castillo said she plans to cheque retired the series, with the anticipation of learning Indigenous traditions and teachings, arsenic good arsenic however antithetic communities interact with nature. 

"[Newcomers] privation to larn due to the fact that they privation to settee successful the country, and who amended tin thatch them what Canada's each astir than the radical who are the instauration of the country," Castillo said done an interpreter. 

The SLNRC and London Public Library person held citizenship classes, which see lessons astir Indigenous history, for much than 15 years, Al Sayyah said. However, those classes are lone for radical who person applied for their citizenship, which she said tin instrumentality 3 to 4 years.

"During that time, they person not built a bully knowing of Indigenous civilization oregon the onshore they are surviving on," Al Sayyah said, adding that the Indigenous-Newcomer Connection bid is unfastened to each newcomers. 

"We're fortunate to person [this caller program] truthful that newcomers, erstwhile they get here, tin commencement learning close away."

Through learning this history, Kechego said, newcomers tin beryllium progressive participants successful knowing and upholding treaties, and taking attraction of the environment. 

"If you work the treaties and the connection of the treaties, we're each responsible," Kechego said. "It talks astir sharing and caring for the water, the land, the animals and the plants for aboriginal generations."

"It's not conscionable america Indigenous radical who person the work to instrumentality attraction of everything," she said. "It's going to beryllium a amended satellite if everybody knows what their responsibilities are."