A piece of land east of Thamesville is being transferred from the United Church of Canada to the First Nation community whose ancestors first settled on it.
Delaware Nation is accepting the return of its original village at Fairfield during a historic signing ceremony Friday morning, which the community’s chief is calling a “clear example of the spirit and intent of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.”
“I, personally, was overwhelmed and extremely happy that the United Church was willing and agreeable to transferring Fairfield back to the Delaware Nation,” Chief Denise Stonefish told 980 CFPL, calling it a historic moment.
“We’ve been trying to do this since the 1950s, 1960s. A number of our leadership over the years have been very persistent in wanting the lands returned to us.”
Fairfield was established on May 8, 1792, by Delaware ancestors and Moravian missionaries. The village had a school and a church but was destroyed at the end of the War of 1812 by retreating American soldiers, forcing the community to relocate to the south side of the Thames River.
The United Church of Canada has operated Fairfield as a historic park and museum for the past 74 years.
“Fairfield was our original community,” Stonefish said. “We were fleeing persecution in the United States after refusing to take sides during the American Revolution.”
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Stonefish said Delaware Nation obtained a land grant from Canada for the area for not taking up arms against the British.
Officials with the church and the First Nation community were on hand for a signing ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday at the Fairfield Museum Grounds.
Plans for Fairfield include developing it into a historic and educational site that will house artifacts and “tell our history from our perspective,” Stonefish said.
“But not forgetting that we came here with the Maravian missionary and that we had established a relationship with the United Church… with our neighbours, and our friends, and that we want to be able to have that knowledge of a shared history.”
Nora Sanders, the general secretary of the general council of The United Church of Canada, said recognizing and honouring Delaware Nation’s connection to the land and ensuring its return to them was “essential” to the United Church’s commitment to reconciliation.
The land transfer is happening in two stages, starting with the cemetery and farm field north of Longwoods Road, followed by the museum and historic park parcel.
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