For those who grew up on the lands of their ancestors, land acknowledgements might be a completely foreign concept. But for those of us who live on colonial territory, it is important to acknowledge the original stewards of the lands on which we live, work and play.
I am writing to you from Kjipuktuk (colonially known as Halifax, Nova Scotia), which is located on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. All sides of my family relocated to Canada within the past 150 years or so (some more recently than others) from Europe, and my heritage is predominantly Dutch, Swedish, and English. I grew up in a military family, and we have lived on the lands of many different Indigenous groups. I feel lucky to have been brought up on the beautiful land of Turtle Island, and I stand with Indigenous groups who seek reconciliation for their colonial mistreatment both past and present.
Access to basic necessities (such as clean water) remain barriers to many Indigenous communities Canada-wide. As we travel through this beautiful landscape, I hope that we take a moment to learn about the original people of the regions that we visit. By including this acknowledgement on my page, I hope that others might be inspired to learn more about the land which they occupy. The following links (introduced to me through a workshop with the wonderful Intimacy Directors & Coordinators) are excellent places to start. —
Learn about the native lands which you occupy:
Learn about why land acknowledgements matter, and how to write your own:
https://nativegov.org/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment/
Finally, a digital land acknowledgement by Adrienne Wong, of Spider Web Show in Ontario:
“Since our activities are shared digitally on the internet, let’s also take a moment to consider the legacy of colonization embedded within the technologies and structures, and ways of thinking we use every day. We are using equipment and high speed internet not available in many indigenous communities. Even the technologies that are central to much of the art we make leaves significant carbon footprints, contributing to changing climates that disproportionately affect indigenous peoples worldwide. I invite you to join us in acknowledging all this as well as our shared responsibility: to make best use of this time here together, and for each of us to consider our roles in reconciliation, decolonization, and allyship.”
