Look up the following words and discuss how they are used in the article.
Assimilate –
Colonize –
Genocide –
Umbilicus –
Reconciliation –
The article provides an overview of what the Land Acknowledgment is and how it should be used.
Analyse the article using at least three points. Discuss what you found interesting and what you have learned from the article. Think about your experience with the Land Acknowledgment, has the article changed your understanding of the Acknowledgement?
ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHIEF LADY BIRD
What are land acknowledgements
and why do they matter?
Indigenous writer Selena Mills illustrates the
importance of land acknowledgements—and
shares perspectives about this newly popular
form of reconciliation
BY SELENA MILLS
Chances are, you’ve seen or heard a land acknowledgement at some point in the past few years.
Maybe this was during the introduction to an art, sporting, cultural, academic or civic event, or at
one of the 160 Toronto bus shelters that now ask transit users to think about who first lived on
the land they’re commuting across. We know that Columbus did not discover the Americas, nor
did the other European seafarers who preceded him. This land was—and still is—Turtle Island,
already inhabited for well over 10,000 years by thriving traditional territories, bands and
confederacies of Indigenous people. And we’re still here, in spite of intense and prolonged
attempts by church and state to assimilate and colonize Indigenous peoples into
white/Eurocentric society. But maybe you don’t totally understand why land acknowledgements
are so important. That’s understandable—we can’t know what we weren’t taught, right? So,
here’s what you need to know.
WHAT IS A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT?
Land acknowledgements are an honest and historically accurate way to recognize the traditional
First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit territories of a place. They can be presented verbally or visually:
think signage, short theatre presentations or simple spoken-word greetings. According to
Anishinaabe-kwe Wanda Nanibush, the first curator of Indigenous art at the Art Gallery of
Ontario (AGO), land acknowledgements have one goal, regardless of format: They
commemorate Indigenous peoples’ principal kinship to the land—and the fact that we have not
and cannot be erased from her, our collective first mother. “They’re a starting place to a change
in how the land is seen and talked about,” she says. “[They] help redefine how people place
themselves in relation to First Peoples.”
Nanibush spearheaded the installation of multilingual labels for the AGO’s permanent collection
of Canadian and Indigenous art, which is housed in the newly renamed J.S. McLean Centre for
Indigenous & Canadian Art. The labels are published in English, French and Inuktitut
or Anishinaabemowin, the latter of which is the language of the land the AGO occupies.
(Ojibway is a dialect of Anishinaabemowin.) “It’s important for our audiences to grapple with
the idea of the inherent right to land that First Peoples actually hold,” Nanibush says. “If it isn’t
stated everywhere, all the time, people can continue to ignore its existence.”
New ‘land acknowledgement’ signs in Toronto recognize Indigenous peoples
https://locallove.ca/life/where-to-learn-about-indigenous-cultures-in-the-gta/
https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/visualarts/2016/07/22/wanda-nanibush-named-agos-first-curator-of-indigenous-art.html
https://ago.ca/
https://ago.ca/
https://locallove.ca/changemakers/meet-the-designer-behind-torontos-first-indigenous-fashion-week/
https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/ago-to-unveil-cross-cultural-canadian-and-indigenous-art-centre-1.3992640
https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/ago-to-unveil-cross-cultural-canadian-and-indigenous-art-centre-1.3992640
https://www.todaysparent.com/family/family-life/when-i-became-a-mother-i-felt-an-urgent-need-to-learn-my-mother-tongue/
WHY ARE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS NECESSARY?
Inspired by the 94 recommended calls to action contained in the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission of Canada (now known as the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, or
NCTR), land acknowledgements are a necessary first step toward honouring the original
occupants of a place. They also help Canadians recognize and respect Indigenous peoples’
inherent kinship beliefs when it comes to the land, especially since those beliefs were restricted
for so long.
When we’re being honest about why land acknowledgements are
important—recognition of the attempted genocide of Indigenous
peoples in Canada, which spans centuries—they might seem like
an inadequate gesture. But the NCTR’s recommendations help
provide a solid framework for reconciliation for the injustices that
have been carried out against Indigenous communities: broken
treaty relationships, residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and
continued attempts by government (federal, provincial and
territorial) and religious groups to control the Indigenous family unit, resources and access to
services. I think that understanding colonization isn’t just a historical problem—it’s also a key
component in grappling with why land acknowledgements are important today. Generations of
Canadians have been affected—not just the oppressed.
Land acknowledgements aren’t about placing blame, and not all Indigenous peoples agree on
their efficacy or even on how they should be done—especially when they are sloppy, done
without Indigenous consultation or don’t reflect actual Indigenous inclusion and representation
within organizations as a whole. Part of the point in making land acknowledgements is to
recognize how systemic and institutional systems of power have oppressed Indigenous peoples,
and how that oppression has historically influenced the way non-Indigenous people perceive and
interact with Indigenous peoples—all still quite prevalent in today’s cultural, social and political
climate.
HOW SHOULD I REACT DURING A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT?
Be mindful of the thoughts that go through your head when you hear or see a land
acknowledgement. Digging deep to look at how our personal biases might contribute to
discrimination can be tough, but the work of personal introspection isn’t supposed to be easy. Be
honest with yourself about your first reactions and the commentary that ensues when we hear a
land acknowledgement with our peers, or when your kids talk about hearing them at school.
Today’s land acknowledgements contradict what many of us were taught, even if we’ve been out
of school for just a few years—not to mention with how our own Canadian identity is reflected
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/truth-and-reconciliation-94-calls-to-action-1.3362258
https://nctr.ca/map.php
https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform-single/beyond-94?&cta=1
https://locallove.ca/issues/land-acknowledgements-uncovering-an-oral-history-of-tkaronto/
https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-2/
https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-2/
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/tide-is-turning-on-canadas-relationship-with-indigenous-people/article35530261/
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/tide-is-turning-on-canadas-relationship-with-indigenous-people/article35530261/
https://www.todaysparent.com/kids/school-age/why-our-kids-need-to-learn-about-residential-schools/
http://www.cbc.ca/cbcdocspov/features/the-sixties-scoop-explained
https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/from-foster-care-to-missing-or-murdered-canadas-other-tragic-pipeline/
https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/from-foster-care-to-missing-or-murdered-canadas-other-tragic-pipeline/
https://www.todaysparent.com/family/family-life/when-will-they-stop-acting-like-our-children-are-disposable/
through our family histories. Know that proving and understanding identity is something that
First Nation, Métis and Inuit people have to do every day.
When we start to connect the necessary dots to gain a thorough understanding of why land
acknowledgements are important, we’re faced with some harsh truths about injustices that have
happened—and are still happening—right here in Canada, often carried out by institutions we’ve
believed in and trusted. These are big things to grapple with, and you’ll find that most
Indigenous people are understanding of that.
Sara Roque, a filmmaker who worked for years as the Indigenous arts officer at the Ontario Arts
Council (OAC), has seen many land acknowledgements, both across Turtle Island and in other
Indigenous communities such as in Australia and New Zealand. She understands how the
scripted ones can be seen as a “yawn”—it’s a reaction she has witnessed from both audiences
and jury panels and adds that it quickly becomes clear when speakers either don’t have a full
understanding of land acknowledgements or are just reciting words.
Recognizing how generations before us have individually oppressed others doesn’t necessarily
mean we are admitting to being bad people today. And holding one another accountable when it
comes to self-reflection can seem like a tall order, too. But these are important things to think
about—and more importantly, they’re actionable steps toward legitimate reconciliation.
IS THERE A WRONG WAY TO DO A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT?
Perhaps. I’m still on the fence. In my opinion, when they are dry, scripted and obviously hold no
meaning to the speaker, I am critical—but I also appreciate that at least they’re being done in
more and more spaces. Other peers and community members I’ve talked to about land
acknowledgements say that many of them are very obviously less about accuracy and more about
doing something in the name of “reconciliation” without doing anything else. Stumbling over
some words just isn’t enough—Indigenous programming and leadership should also be
consistently reflected throughout the event, workshop or curriculum.
Roque looks to the origins of land acknowledgements amongst
Indigenous peoples as inspiration and testimony to their importance,
sharing that First Peoples often placed themselves in relation to their
connection to the land they were born from (in), describing that
Indigenous peoples recognize and honour their connection to the land.
It’s about relational location: having an umbilicus to where you’re
from and how to follow it. These introductions weren’t labelled as land
acknowledgements—it was just how we carried and presented ourselves when gathering for
governance and ceremony. Sometimes a verbal announcement wasn’t even necessary, as clan and
territorial signifiers were present by way of dress, types of hides, tattoos and art weaved into all
forms of aesthetics. Today, some Indigenous peoples might introduce themselves in their
language and claim the land they are from, along with their name.
https://www.flare.com/news/sara-roque-feminist/
https://www.nfb.ca/film/six_miles_deep/
Years of experience have shown Roque that real change—such as land acknowledgements being
more than just a rote exercise—doesn’t happen without institutions walking with integrity by
supporting and properly consulting with Indigenous practitioners. She describes a surface
approach of political correctness: checking off a box without really investing in learning what the
motive or mandate requires, or its historical relevance.
“I think of the practice of giving tobacco as an Indigenous person. You can do that for years and
years and it starts to feel like a performativity task and you ask yourself, ‘Why am I doing
this?’,” she says. “I think when land acknowledgements are approached with humility and as a
learning opportunity, that knowledge and that learning process can be transmitted to others.”
Roque advocates taking a collaborative approach, which includes considering “how land
acknowledgements are [handled] to reflect an inclusion of Indigenous worldviews, and
challenging and rebalancing the whole idea that Indigenous people have been erased from the
history of this land.”
Roque agrees that research and consultation are integral to this process. “It would be so neat to
see [land acknowledgements] done more frequently in the languages representative of regions,
wherein the words are embodied though an impactful, opening performance,” she says. “I have
seen variations and interpretation like this and the audience was deeply impacted.”
WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW?
As Canadians, we have to understand that Indigenous people are healing and that each person’s
healing path is as different as their life experiences. Stop talking. Listen. You’ll hear a
perspective that you’ve never heard before that relates first-hand to centuries of oppression, but
also a story of strength and resurgence.
We can effect real change by pushing ourselves to engage in conversations with each other.
That’s the goal for all of us, as professionals and community members, especially if we are in
positions of power to create change and understanding. Because we are all guests on this
land—nobody owns her. But it’s the First Peoples who are her stewards and direct descendants,
who hold the ancestral and genetic blood memory, knowledge of enriching philosophies,
land-based skills and intrinsic belief systems that future generations will depend upon, regardless
of cultural lineage. It’s not so much about focusing on the omission of belonging, and all of us
having a right to a home, but rather about introducing non-Indigenous people to this land’s
accurate confederate history and the importance of relationship to land despite the dominant
worldview of owning the land. All we’re asking you to do is to remember, and remember with
us.
“What Are Land Acknowledgements and Why Do They Matter?” Locallove, 18 Sept. 2019,
locallove.ca/issues/what-are-land-acknowledgements-and-why-do-they- matter/#.YNXmcOhKjIX.
http://greatlakeswaterwalk.ca/2017/09/14/use-sacred-tobacco-anishinaabe-ceremony/
https://locallove.ca/changemakers/were-about-to-get-schooled-by-roberta-jamieson/#.W5qcuC3Mx3k
https://protecttheinlet.ca/
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/buffy-sainte-marie-wab-kinew-and-how-dna-remembers-trauma-1.3242375/lasting-effects-of-trauma-reaches-across-generations-through-dna-1.3243897
“What are Land Acknowledgements and Why Do They Matter?”
1. Look up the following words and discuss how they are used in the article.
Assimilate –
Colonize –
Genocide –
Umbilicus –
Reconciliation –
2. The article provides an overview of what the Land Acknowledgment is and how it should
be used.
Analyse the article using at least three points. Discuss what you found interesting and
what you have learned from the article. Think about your experience with the Land
Acknowledgment, has the article changed your understanding of the Acknowledgement?
Your response should be well-organized and follow the English department style guide. Be sure
to edit carefully.
