LibGuides: Truth and Reconciliation: Land Acknowledgements

What is a land acknowledgement?

"A territorial or land acknowledgement is an act of reconciliation that involves making a statement recognizing the traditional territory of the Indigenous people who called the land home before the arrival of settlers, and in many cases still do call it home" (Shahzad, 2017, para. 5).

"Territory acknowledgement is a way that people insert an awareness of Indigenous presence and land rights in everyday life. This is often done at the beginning of ceremonies, lectures, or any public event. It can be a subtle way to recognize the history of colonialism and a need for change in settler colonial societies" (Native Land Digital, n.d., para. 2).

"[L]and acknowledgements are an act of conciliation by an educator, host, keynote speaker or programmer who introduces the territorial or traditional lands" (Mills, 2018, para. 4)

The value of land acknowledgements

CBC News: What is the significance of acknowledging the Indigenous land we stand on?
An article by Ramna Shahzad exploring Land Acknowledgements. Shahzad draws on the knowledge of Indigenous community members, leaders, and scholars as she works to unpack several questions.
Todays' Parent: Land acknowledgements are a good first step, but there’s a lot more work to be done
An article by Indigenous writer Selena Mills exploring questions about land acknowledgements and the danger of them becoming background noise. In particular Mills addresses the question "What happens next, and how can we do better?"

Resources

Alberta Government: First Nations reserves and Metis settlements [map]
Canada spans 11 Treaty Territories with 5 in Alberta. Treaties 6, 7 and 8 span most of the province. Two other Treaty areas with small land bases and no First Nations in Alberta are located in the northeast in Treaty 10 and the southeast in Treaty 4. Alberta is home to 8 Metis Settlements, comprising 512,121 hectares or 1.25 million acres. The Settlements are primarily located in east-central and northern Alberta.
CAUT Guide to Acknowledging First Peoples & Traditional Territory
A guide created by and for the Canadian Association of University Teachers offering recommended territorial acknowledgement for institutions where our members work. It is organized by province. The goal of this guide is to encourage all academic staff association representatives and members to acknowledge the First Peoples on whose traditional territories we live and work.
Native Land Digital
Native Land Digital strives to create and foster conversations about the history of colonialism, Indigenous ways of knowing, and settler-Indigenous relations, through educational resources such as our map and Territory Acknowledgement Guide. We strive to go beyond old ways of talking about Indigenous people and to develop a platform where Indigenous communities can represent themselves and their histories on their own terms. In doing so, Native Land Digital creates spaces where non-Indigenous people can be invited and challenged to learn more about the lands they inhabit, the history of those lands, and how to actively be part of a better future going forward together.
Whose Land
Whose Land is a web-based app that uses GIS technology to assist users in identifying Indigenous Nations, territories, and Indigenous communities across Canada. The app can be used for learning about the territory your home or business is situated on, finding information for a land acknowledgement, and learning about the treaties and agreements signed across Canada.

Land Acknowledgement: Ariana Roundpoint, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne

Land Acknowledgements

Whose Land
A collection of videos capturing eight unique land acknowledgements.

Beyond land acknowledgements

Beyond territorial acknowledgments
A blog post by âpihtawikosisân. Chelsea Vowel is Métis from manitow-sâkahikan (Lac Ste. Anne) Alberta, residing in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton). Parent to six children, she has a BEd, LLB, and MA. She is a Cree language instructor at the Faculty of Native studies at the University of Alberta.
CBC Unreserved: 'I regret it': Hayden King on writing Ryerson University's territorial acknowledgement
An interview with Hayden King, the executive director of the Yellowhead Institute, a First Nation-led research centre based at Ryerson University.

Truth and Reconciliation: Land Acknowledgements

Prairie College's Land Acknowledgement