As a community cares for the land, a strong communal relationship with the land forms. Over time, the details become clear as we notice the songbirds; observe a small weasel dart by, almost undetected, carrying a freshly caught mouse to their den under the shed; see coyote scat and find a deer carcass; hear the spring peepers and observe the patterned lives of pollinators and garden pests; notice the rich moisture of dark soil mulched with woodchips compared to the compacted, cracked soil of the pasture mid-summer; discover the white, thread-like strands of mycelium - the nervous system of a newly planted little forest; offer Asemma, our sacred medicine; feel gratitude for life and set our intention for the continuation of life; offer that smudge so that we each can restore and ready ourselves to grow our medicines…to be medicine.

 

It is through this process of relationship building with the land over two years that members of the urban Indigenous community committed to establishing a land trust. ​​All Our Relations Land Trust is a charitable organization formed in 2022 by urban Indigenous community members within Katarokwi (greater Kingston area, Ontario). It is a culmination of aspirations expressed by community members for a cultural and natural space that is cared for by the community. Establishing this Land Trust allows community members to hold land in perpetuity and establish a meaningful relationship with land in an urban setting. It offers a way for Indigenous Peoples to take direct action for biodiversity restoration and cultural resurgence and to safeguard lands for future generations of all our relatives in an area at risk of increasing urbanization and development. ​All Our Relations Land Trust is preparing to receive a gift of land in 2024.

 

This gift is 2.86 acres of pasture located at 1467 Highway 15 in Katarokwi. This location is home to an Indigenous food sovereignty garden and little forests that are cared for by community. This land is being gifted by the United Church of Canada after nearly seven years of reconciliatory relationship building between Faith United Church and members of the urban Indigenous community through an initiative called Walking the Path of Peace Together. You can read more about that initiative here.  ​All Our Relations Land Trust maintains that when people interact with the land, they remember who they are, their roles, their responsibilities, and their sources of strength; the relationship is re-established. The Land Trust offers a direct and meaningful way to care for land, ensure a continued relationship, and protect the continuation of life.