Written by Janna Martin
In my city of Guelph, Indigenous histories and presence have long been erased from public landmarks and heritage markers. The story of Guelph’s founding is that upon a ceremonial felling of a maple tree on April 23rd, 1827, John Galt, the first superintendent of the Canada Company established Guelph as a city. While he did not spend much time in Guelph, John Galt’s name is prominent in city spaces. Often untold are the histories of the Neutral, who were the first known Indigenous people to live in what is now Guelph, and the Mississaugas, who stewarded the land after the Neutrals dispersed due to wars. The Haudenosaunee also shared this land prior to Guelph’s founding. In learning and sharing about these histories of my city, I seek to recognize Indigenous presence in the current day.
I began my PhD with an interest in re-storying settler heritage and public history, to acknowledge settler-colonialism and Indigenous sovereignty. As a white person of Swiss-Mennonite heritage, I aim to engage my community in decolonizing our narratives. When I began my PhD in September 2022, my supervisor and SOPR affiliate faculty, Dr. Kim Anderson hired me as a research assistant on the project titled, “Decolonizing Place Narratives: Thatinatón:ni – Where the Rivers Meet.” Since then, I have been working with an amazing team of Indigenous and settler folks with different areas of expertise in storytelling and decolonization.
Recently, on October 18th, 2024, we held an event to unveil a mural and map at the site of a former Trans Canada Trail kiosk in John Galt Park. Created by Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ (Cayuga) and German artist Alex Jacobs-Blum, the photographic mural is called “At the river’s edge, the Grandmothers are weaving tomorrow”.
The mural honors the legacy of wisdom passed down by our grandmothers and ancestors. It speaks to the enduring influence of these remarkable women who carry ancestral knowledge and are collectively shaping our future. This piece is a tribute to the strength and vision of women and grandmothers, whose insights and resilience continue to guide us forward. Located along the Speed River—a watershed of the Grand River—this mural is situated by water that echoes the grandmothers’ own connection to life-giving forces. Water is a source of life, always moving, renewing, and healing. This piece reflects their enduring relationship with the land and waters that nourish and sustain us all. I hope as visitors walk this trail, they feel the depth of this connection to water and land, and discover a sense of grounding and belonging in their presence.
Alex Jacobs Blum
The unveiling event was filled with meaningful speeches, laughter, and a few tears. The event began with socializing around food. The Pow Wow Café catered delicious bites of food, as inspired by contemporary Indigenous cuisine. Then Grandmother Renee opened the event with a Thanksgiving Address, recognizing the living beings, land, and Speed River beside us. She pointed out that the month of October is known in the 13-moon Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe calendar as the falling leaves moon, which is a time of harvesting. As the event continued, the collaborators and funder (Trans Canada Trails) shared their words of appreciation for the kiosk re-design. It was a momentous day for decolonizing Guelph’s narrative.
The research will culminate in an exhibition at the Guelph Civic Museum in Spring 2026. The kiosk re-design was a side project that I did not play an active role in, so I cannot take credit for its significant contribution. I am more involved in the museum exhibition research and curation, and I feel very grateful to be part of this research team. While I came to the PhD in Social Practice and Transformational Change with a career in community-based research (I’m still working at the Centre for Community Based Research) I had no experience with an Indigenous or decolonizing lens. Through first-hand experience with this project, I can better grasp academic concepts and methodologies that would otherwise be vague impressions. For example, I have read Indigenous historians who say that spirit and land-based knowledge are central to knowledge generation. As a settler researcher I am witnessing the direction of the exhibition co-curation being informed by non-human relations, who are making themselves known to the team. While I cannot fully comprehend Indigenous ways of knowing, and I never will as a non-Indigenous person, the role I am invited to play on the team is to support in administration, coordination, and background research.
In wrapping up, my experience with the Decolonizing Place Narratives team has been transformational for understanding my presence as settler on this land and my role as supporter and accomplice. Events like the mural unveiling remind us of the deep connections between people, land, and water, and the shared responsibility we all have to care for non-human relations. As I continue my PhD journey, I will be taking these insights into my life and praxis as a researcher