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Guelph Civic Museum was established in the 1960s to preserve and share this city’s local history. Since then, our founding story has been told through the narrative of the Canada Company. Founded by John Galt, who became its first Superintendent, the Canada Company is responsible for colonizing over two million acres of land on the shores of Lake Huron, now known as the Huron Tract. This version of our founding story implies that Galt established Guelph on unpopulated land and…

Guelph Museums is in the process of decolonization through the restructuring of our colonialist framework and by collaborating meaningfully with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. We are committed to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and we strive to initiate dialogues and create safe spaces for truth telling. These guiding principles inform all that we do at Guelph Museums.

Dewa’áo’:gajíhgwa’e’ is the Cayuga Nation word for lacrosse, which has multiple meanings: “they play with webbed sticks” and “to throw or pass the ball” and “hitting their hips. Lacrosse was gifted to the Haudenosaunee Peoples (Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca) from the Creator at the time of Creation. Other Indigenous Nations have their own Creation stories, as well as different stories about how the game of lacrosse came to be. Today, many variations of the game are played across…