The Moccasin Identifier Continues to Promote Indigenous Cultural Awareness in Ontario
Five Site Installations, An Augmented Reality App, and A Library Toolkit Among Upcoming Priorities
TORONTO, June 24, 2021: With renewed funding from the Greenbelt Foundation, the Moccasin Identifier will continue to promote the history and presence of Indigenous Communities and Peoples across the Greenbelt and the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
The Moccasin Identifier was initiated, designed, and is led by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, with Member of the Order of Canada, Carolyn King, as the founder and project lead.
Over the next three years, this Indigenous-led project will install five moccasin identifiers near culturally significant sites across the region, including in Rouge National Urban Park, to help promote the region’s diverse Indigenous cultures and the strong ties Indigenous Communities have to the land. Further outreach and the work of an Indigenous planning committee will also identify 10 new sites for future moccasin installations.
Working with Indigenous Tourism Ontario, the Moccasin Identifier will also participate in the development of an augmented reality app to support tourism programming and enhance visitors’ experience of the installation sites and connect to Indigenous tourism operators in Ontario.
The project will be promoted with three videos on Rogers and OMNI TV, through a Library Education Toolkit, developed in partnership with Toronto Public Libraries, through a social media campaign, and during the Two Rivers Festival in 2022 and Toronto Biennial of Art in 2022, among other avenues.
The Moccasin Identifier was initiated, designed, and is led by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, with Member of the Order of Canada, Carolyn King, as the founder and project lead. The project uses four moccasin symbols—reflective of the moccasins worn by different Nations—to illustrate the Indigenous linguistic diversity of Ontario.
"We are very grateful to the Greenbelt Foundation for its continued support of the Moccasin Identifier,” says Carolyn King, Founder of the Moccasin Identifier and Recipient of the Order of Canada. “The first grant from 2018–2020 allowed us to do so much. This new grant from 2021–2023 will support us in continuing our great work. Many Canadians now understand the significance of Reconciliation. Facilitating greater awareness of Treaties is the goal of the Moccasin Identifier. Let's continue covering Canada in moccasins."
The project’s organizational mission is to educate Ontarians, especially children, on Indigenous cultures and treaties through an Educational Toolkit and develop a network of knowledge for the benefit of Truth and Reconciliation.
Since 2011, the project has worked at a grassroots level visiting over 1,000 schools, universities, workshops, major events, opening ceremonies, and celebrations, to reach over 10,000 people. In 2018, Moccasin Identifier received a two-year grant from the Greenbelt Foundation, which built the program’s capacity, launched a website, produced and tested the pilot Education Toolkits, and supported the process of gathering archaeological information for the Moccasin Identifier installations.
“The Greenbelt Foundation strongly supports the Moccasin Identifier in its work to educate the public about diverse Indigenous cultures in our region and the current and historical connection between Indigenous Communities and the Greenbelt,” says Edward McDonnell, CEO, Greenbelt Foundation. “This next step will realize an exciting vision of installing five moccasins across the landscape, while spreading awareness about the project and its mission.”
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For the full project backgrounder, click here.
About Greenbelt Foundation:
Greenbelt Foundation is a charitable organization, solely dedicated to ensuring the Greenbelt remains permanent, protected and prosperous. We make the right investments in its interconnected natural, agricultural and economic systems, to ensure a working, thriving Greenbelt for all. Ontario's Greenbelt is the world's largest, with over two million acres of farmland, forests, wetlands and rivers working together to provide clean air, fresh water, and a reliable local food source.
About Moccasin Identifier Project:
The Shared Path Consultation Initiative (Shared Path) is a charitable organization that is addressing the challenges and opportunities that emerge where land use change and Aboriginal and Treaty Rights intersect. Planning, as a political and sometimes contentious process, has the potential to impact Indigenous political and territorial claims. We seek to provide opportunities and resources that enhance, inform, and facilitate Indigenous-non-Indigenous bridge building, particularly within the realm of land planning practice.
Greenbelt Foundation Media Contact:
Michael Young
Manager, Communications and Media Relations
Greenbelt Foundation
(416) 960-0001 x 311
[email protected]
Greenbelt Foundation Social Media:
Instagram: @ongreenbelt
Twitter: @greenbeltca
Facebook: Ontario Greenbelt
Moccasin Identifier Project Media Contact:
Caitlin LaForme
Culture and Events Coordinator
(289) 314-9298
[email protected]
Image credit: Nadia Molinari