# Event Details - **Event Name**: Book Launch: Always A Part Of The Land - **Event Start and End Date**: Sun, 21 Jun, 2026 at 02:00 pm – Sun, 21 Jun, 2026 at 04:00 pm - **Event Description**: Join Dr. Cody Groat in conversation with Dr. Kelsey Leonard to celebrate the launch of his new book Always A Part Of The Land.About this EventABOUT THE BOOKThe commemoration of a nation’s past is a highly contested process, fraught with identity politics and competing interests. For over a century – even as the government of Canada denied them the rights to recognize or practise their cultures – Indigenous Peoples have challenged the often narrow and one-sided interpretations found in museums, at historic sites, or alongside statues or monuments.Cody Groat demonstrates how the federal government actively shapes complex national narratives that are mediated through the perspectives of historians, elected officials, and leading civil servants. From the commemoration of the earliest human habitations in North America to the recognition of the Indian residential school system, the state has constructed a past imbued with patriotism and national pride. But Indigenous interests diverge from those of the state. From small acts of defiance, such as the refusal to share sacred knowledge, to open acts of resistance, such as the citizen’s arrest of an archaeologist, Indigenous people have long fought for the opportunity to share their stories as they know them.Always a Part of the Land calls for a critical reinterpretation not only of the nation’s history but also of how we think about the past and how this shapes ongoing relationships between Indigenous Peoples and the state.CODY GROAT is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History and the Indigenous Studies Program. He is Kanyen'kehaka (Mohawk) and a band member of Six Nations of the Grand River. His father, William, was a survivor of the Sixties Scoop, and his grandparents, Stanley and Jean, were survivors of the Indian Residential School System, including the Mohawk Institute. He completed an MA in World Heritage Studies from the University of Birmingham (UK) in 2017 through the International Centre for Heritage and a PhD in History from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2023. His research is focused on Indigenous cultural heritage, including the commemoration of Indigenous peoples through municipal, provincial, federal, and international designations, as well as Indigenous governance and political sovereignty. Outside of Western, Cody has served as the Chair of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO Memory of the World Advisory Committee and currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Canadian Studies and Ontario History. He is an award winning public historian and has been recognized with the National Trust for Canada Governors' Award, the Russell K. Cooper Prize in Public Programming from the Ontario Historical Society, the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Exellence in Conservation, and a King Charles III Coronation Medal for services to heritage.KELSEY LEONARD is an Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Waters, Climate and Sustainability. In addition to the SSHRC Tier 2 funding of her CRC, she was also awarded CFI funds through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund. Dr. Leonard's research focuses on Indigenous water justice and its climatic, territorial, and governance underpinnings. Leonard seeks to establish Indigenous traditions of water conservation as the foundation for international water policymaking. Leonard has been instrumental in safeguarding the interests of Indigenous Nations for environmental planning and builds Indigenous science and knowledge into new solutions for water governance and sustainable oceans. In collaboration with a global team of water law scholars Leonard has published in Lewis and Clark Law Review on Indigenous Water Justice and the defining international legal principle of self-determination under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Her recent scholarship explores legal personhood for water and you can watch her TEDTalk here: "Why lakes and rivers should have the same rights as humans" - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/ingersoll/book-launch-always-a-part-of-the-land/100001991404413207 - **Event Categories**: fitness, Entertainment, Music, science-fair - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 2 hours - Location: 105 Thames St S - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: CAD ## Event venue details - **city**: Ingersoll - **state**: ON - **country**: Canada - **location**: 105 Thames St S - **lat**: 43.0391554 - **long**: -80.8832422 - **full address**: 105 Thames St S, 105 Thames Street South, Ingersoll, Canada ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Book Launch: Always A Part Of The Land - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events5/banners/0a1c7d8c32270720c913931f35dce467b6a4b8aebdb42a2ce22e1a6cb754163a-rimg-w1200-h600-dcbcc8a2-gmir.jpg?v=1781324974 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Book Launch: Always A Part Of The Land being held? - **A:** Book Launch: Always A Part Of The Land takes place on Sun, 21 Jun, 2026 at 02:00 pm to Sun, 21 Jun, 2026 at 04:00 pm at 105 Thames St S, 105 Thames Street South, Ingersoll, Canada. - **Q**: Who is organizing Book Launch: Always A Part Of The Land? - **A:** Book Launch: Always A Part Of The Land is organized by Commonplace Books. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Book Launch: Always A Part Of The Land", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events5/banners/0a1c7d8c32270720c913931f35dce467b6a4b8aebdb42a2ce22e1a6cb754163a-rimg-w1200-h600-dcbcc8a2-gmir.jpg?v=1781324974", "startDate": "2026-06-21", "endDate": "2026-06-21", "url": "https://allevents.in/ingersoll/book-launch-always-a-part-of-the-land/100001991404413207", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "105 Thames St S", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "105 Thames Street South", "postalCode": "N5C 2T3", "addressLocality": "Ingersoll", "addressRegion": "ON", "addressCountry": "CA" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "43.0391554", "longitude": "-80.8832422" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Join Dr. Cody Groat in conversation with Dr. Kelsey Leonard to celebrate the launch of his new book Always A Part Of The Land.", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "CAD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-07", "availabilityEnds": "2026-06-21", "validFrom": "2026-09-07", "lowPrice": "0.00", "highPrice": "0.00", "price": "0.00", "url": "https://allevents.in/ingersoll/book-launch-always-a-part-of-the-land/100001991404413207" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "CAD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-07", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-07", "url": "https://allevents.in/ingersoll/book-launch-always-a-part-of-the-land/100001991404413207", "price": 0, "name": "General Admission" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Commonplace Books", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/commonplace-books/27461433", "description": "Commonplace Books is Oxford County's local independent bookstore, proudly serving Ingersoll, Woodstock, Tillsonburg, and all neighbouring communities." } ] } ] ```