LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It's not just a gesture, it's an honest and sincere acknowledgement.
Acknowledging the land, people, water, air, animals and plants...
Colonization is not in the past, it is ongoing and the land, people, water, air, animals and plants continue to change and adapt.
A land acknowledgement is a statement that brings accountability and responsibility to the forefront regarding harms that have come to the onkwehonwe/original/first people and the land. It's a reflection of how life has changed in North America since the arrival of Europeans.
It is also a statement that should be considered and spoken with great humility.
What kind of impact do you want to make with this acknowledgement? Awareness is the conversation that we want to start.
It is not a gesture, it is an action. If you are writing or saying a land acknowledgement because you were asked to by your boss, then pass the job along to someone who cares and seeks a better understanding of Indigenous nations and cultures.
Never ask a First Nations person to write or say the land acknowledgement. It is your responsibility and it is totally redundant coming from onkwehonwe.
Do your homework and consult with the closest Indigenous community to your establishment/home/school/hospital, etc. We are open to those consultations.
Be sure to be inclusive. Indigenous peoples are diverse and each a sovereign nation. Do not practice pan-Indigenism; we do not say she is 'European' if she said she is Italian. So we do not say she is 'Indigenous' when she has said she is Mohawk. If you don't know, ask. Indigenous people are very proud and it we feel a shift in equity when you better understand who we are.
Do not be afraid to call out the injustices. You may not be personally to blame for ethnic cleansing policies but a humble person will admit that residential schools, infant child apprehension, sterilization of Indigenous women and all aligning assimilation actions were put in motion by European parents/grandparents and/or ancestors. This erasure is still a mandate - there are still 'birth alerts', overrepresentation in prisons, an epidemic of murdered and unsolved cases of missing women, overrepresentation in foster care and the pending erasure of the Indian Act and sovereign lands.
We are counting on you you to make change and bring justice to the forefront.
Land, People, Plants, Water, Animals and Air
A land acknowledgement is conveying an awareness of the effects of colonization on Indigenous peoples, land, plants, animals and air. So it should really be called, ‘Acknowledgement of Land & Peoples'. Animals have also been colonized, their lifestyles, foods and health have changed. The water has changed, the air has changed.
Acknowledge that colonization creates a rapid and harmful transition away from originally healthy diet and lifestyle. The residential school system, Indigenous child apprehension and displacement programs aligned with forced assimilation creates racial inequities and negatively effects all four quadrants of health: spiritual, emotional, physical and mental.
Let’s acknowledge.
A Sample Land and Peoples Acknowledgement for a Health Care Facility
We at __________________________________ acknowledge that __________________________________ is located on the traditional and unceded territories of the ________________________________________, who are the onkwehonwe (original/first people and stewards of the lands and waters). We are committed to learn from and respect the traditional knowledge and healing ways that have been in place since time immemorial. We recognize that we are new to the land and humbly rely on First Nations to guide us in respecting and understanding our young relationship with the natural world here on Turtle Island (North America).
We honour the distinct healthcare needs of Indigenous peoples and acknowledge that colonization creates a rapid and harmful transition away from original healthy diet and lifestyle. We understand that the residential school system, Indigenous child apprehension and displacement programs aligned with forced assimilation creates racial inequities and negatively effects all four quadrants of health: spiritual, emotional, physical and mental. We acknowledge that 'medicine' is defined differently by First Nations peoples and we are open to learning and offering to them the medicine that brings them both happiness and health.
At ______________________________________, we promise to contribute to the advancement of equality and reconciliation by ensuring that all Indigenous patients and their families are provided equitable access to safe, respectful, culturally appropriate and attentive quality care.
A Sample Land and Peoples Acknowledgement for an Educational Institution
We at __________________________________ acknowledge that __________________________________ is located on the traditional and unceded territories of the, _________________________________________, who are the onkwehonwe (original/first people and stewards of the lands and waters). We are committed to learn from and respect the traditional knowledge and lifestyles that have been in place since time immemorial. We recognize that we are new to the land and humbly rely on First Nations to guide us in respecting and understanding our young relationship with the natural world here on Turtle Island (North America).
We honour the distinct needs of Indigenous peoples and acknowledge that colonization creates a rapid and harmful transition away from original healthy diet and lifestyle. We understand that the residential school system, Indigenous child apprehension and displacement programs aligned with forced assimilation creates racial inequities and negatively effects all four quadrants of health: spiritual, emotional, physical and mental.
At ______________________________________, we promise to contribute to the advancement of equality and reconciliation by ensuring that all Indigenous students, faculty and visitors are provided equitable access to safe, respectful and culturally appropriate environments. Furthermore, we acknowledge our commitment to learning more from First Peoples so we can better nurture reciprocal relationships with Mother Earth; her waters, plants, animals and air. We promise to be a strong contributor to her healing and health.
