The City of Hamilton is situated upon the traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas. This land is covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, which was an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek to share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. We further acknowledge that this land is covered by the Between the Lakes Purchase, 1792, between the Crown and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
Today, the city of Hamilton is home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island (North America) and we recognize that we must do more to learn about the rich history of this land so that we can better understand our roles as residents, neighbours, partners, and caretakers.
Learn more about Indigenous Relations at the City of Hamilton.
Eagles Among Us is a public art piece commissioned by the City of Hamilton for Battlefield Park in Stoney Creek. The artwork by David M. General, an Oneida/Mohawk Indigenous artist and member of the Six Nations of the Grand River, consists of four, nine-foot-tall granite carved eagles inscribed with symbols and text around the theme of healing and reconciliation, inspired by the cultural traditions of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabek communities. The site has since become an important place of reflection and gathering in Hamilton. In the artist’s own words Eagles Among us is “an invitation to people to consider the history, look at how things were, look at how things can be made better by the generations today. It creates a special sacred space and you can stand in the middle of that”.