Doing Land Acknowledgements - Xwi7xwa - Distance Research - Research Guides at University of British Columbia

What is a Land Acknowledgement?

A land acknowledgement (or territorial acknowledgement) is considered a respectful, yet political, statement that acknowledges the colonial context of the Indigenous territory/territories where a gathering is taking place. It recognizes relationships between land and people, and in particular Indigenous peoples' continued presence on the lands being acknowledged.

Land acknowledgements are formal statements usually performed at the beginning of a gathering by the host of the gathering, to insert awareness of history of land into daily life. When doing a land acknowledgement, some individuals may also situate themselves in relation to the land by mentioning their ancestry or the nation or community they belong to. Over the past decade, land acknowledgements have become more mainstream as awareness of reconciliation and Indigenous issues has grown.

Some individuals also choose to do personal, informal land acknowledgements unaffiliated with an organization or institution, to situate themselves in relation to where they live. You may see these in someone's personal email signature or social media bio, for example.

Land acknowledgements are done verbally and visually in many different ways. Some common spaces where land acknowledgements are performed include:

meetings
presentations
schools and classrooms
lectures
on an institution's or organization's website
on an institution's or organization's email signature
cultural events
press conferences
place signs
any type of gathering

Why do we acknowledge territory and why does this matter for our research? See X̱wi7x̱wa's Locating Ourselves: Geographically and Socially to find out why!

Musqueam Elder Larry Grant Welcome Message

Virtual Land Acknowledgements

Doing a land acknowledgement for a virtual gathering is a bit more challenging than when everyone is in the same room. In this case, people may be joining your gathering from anywhere in the world. Here are a few tips to help you when creating a land acknowledgement for a virtual gathering:

As the host, give recognition to the land that you, individually, are on
Acknowledge that many others may be on different territory
If possible, invite others to offer their own land acknowledgements

Video Resources for Virtual Land Acknowledgements
CTLT's Indigenous Initiatives has online land acknowledgement resources.

Creating a Land Acknowledgement

There are no true "best practices" for creating a land acknowledgement, as they are all unique to the place, Nations, communities and relationships being acknowledged. However, the general consensus is that they should be intentional, meaningful and accurate. The following resources provide templates, tools and critical suggestions for creating land acknowledgements.

'I regret it': Hayden King on writing Ryerson University's territorial acknowledgement
In this CBC article, Anishinaabe writer and educator Hayden King discusses why he regrets writing Ryerson University's territorial acknowledgement.
Are you planning to do a Land Acknowledgement?
A short, yet critical piece by prominent children's book critic Dr. Debbie Reese. The blog post is a compilation of tweets originally published as a Twitter thread.
Beyond territorial acknowledgements (2016)
Written by Métis writer, educator and public intellectual Chelsea Vowel and published on her website âpihtawikosisân. This blog post critically tackles several issues related to land acknowledgements.
Guide to Acknowledging First Peoples & Traditional Territory
This document from the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) provides recommended land acknowledgement templates for institutions where its members work, organized by province. The templates are designed to allow for customization. "We wish to emphasize that this is a guide, not a script. We are recommending the acknowledgements that have been developed by local university-based Indigenous councils or advisory groups, where possible. In other places, where there are multiple territorial acknowledgements that exist for one area or the acknowledgements are contested, the multiple acknowledgements are provided. This is an evolving, working guide."
A guide to Indigenous land acknowledgements
This blog post covers some of the key elements of creating a land acknowledgement. Produced by the Native Governance Centre.
How can I make the land acknowledgement meaningful?
In this blog post, educator Dr. Angela Nardozi (Italian descent) writes about her reflections on land acknowledgements from her settler perspective. Find links to the other parts of this series at the top of this post.
Khelsilem’s Tips for Acknowledging Territory 1.0
From Liberated Yet?, a blog by Vancouver-based activist and politician Khelsilem.
Know The Land
Created by the Laurier Students' Public Interest Research Group, this website covers some of the basics about how to create a land acknowledgement.
Learning the Land: Walking the talk of Indigenous Land acknowledgements
Published in Oct. 2019 on The Conversation.
Native Land
Native Land features a virtual, interactive map of Indigenous territories, treaties and languages across North America, South America, Northern Europe, New Zealand and Australia. This map can be used as a tool to learn about whose territory you live and work on, or whose territory you will be visiting. However, the map does not represent or intend to represent official or legal boundaries of any Indigenous nations. The site also has resources for creating a land acknowledgement.
The Power of a Name
“The Power of a Name” is a film series that examines the contested history of building naming practices at UBC’s first year student residence, Totem Park, and features stories of relationships between UBC and Indigenous communities.
Territory Acknowledgement
Produced by Native Land.ca, this blog post provides some first steps and additional resources for doing land acknowledgements.
Territory Acknowledgement Panel Talk
Discussion featuring UBC affiliated scholars and researchers. Hosted by UBC's Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT).
Understanding Territorial Acknowledgement as a Respectful Relationship
From the open textbook "Pulling Together: A guide for Indigenization of post-secondary institutions." A professional learning series designed for teachers and instructors.
What is a land acknowledgement?
This post clarifies the terms "traditional", "ancestral" and "unceded". These terms are commonly used in land acknowledgements but frequently misused and misunderstood. Created by the University of British Columbia.
Whose Land
Whose Land features a virtual, interactive map of Indigenous territories and treaties across North America, New Zealand and Australia. This map can be used as a tool to learn about whose territory you live and work on, or whose territory you will be visiting. The site also has resources for creating a land acknowledgement.
First Nations, Métis and Inuit – Indigenous Ontologies (FNMIIO)
The FNMI Ontology is released through the National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance (NIKLA). The linked document features a compiled working list of Indigenous Names to better reflect how Indigenous people currently prefer to refer to themselves. This is a living document that will be updated and change as more information is gathered or realized in the course of research and/or consultations.

Joining the Circle: An Indigenous 101 Toolkit (University of Toronto Libraries)
This toolkit aims to "encourage interest in developing Indigenous cultural competency for library staff employed at the University of Toronto Libraries" and introduces land acknowledgements, key concepts, terminology and further resources. Authored by Jamie Lee Morin with contributions from Desmond Wong.

Respect, Sincerity & Responsibility: Land Acknowledgements @ UBC
"Respect, Sincerity & Responsibility: Land Acknowledgements @ UBC" is a 60-minute self-paced course from UBC's CTLT Indigenous Initiatives and HR Workplace Learning & Engagement. This is a UBC Workplace Learning Canvas course intended to guide the UBC community when creating a land acknowledgement. It explores what land acknowledgements are, their importance, and addresses barriers people face when creating an acknowledgement. Through readings, video clips and other resources, this sixty-minute course helps the UBC community understand our responsibility to acknowledge these lands and their history in a meaningful way.

Métis Land Acknowledgements

Doing land acknowledgements for the Métis Nation can be difficult. This is because traditional Métis settlements are dispersed across Canada, and there are debates about the locations and boundaries of traditional Métis settlements.

Métis chartered communities are formal, regional communities established by provincial or territorial Métis Nation leadership. Typically chartered communities are self-governed by an executive elected by Métis Citizens who live within the community's boundaries. Métis chartered communities are similar in structure to the system of Canadian provincial and municipal governments.

The Métis Nations of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario all have chartered communities. Often if you are at a Métis Nation event, such as an annual general meeting, there will be a land acknowledgement to indicate the community that you are in.

The resources featured below shed some light on these issue and offer suggestions for how to include the Métis Nation in a land acknowledgement.

Listening to History: Correcting the Toronto Métis Land Acknowledgement
Written by Jesse Thistle, a Métis-Cree-Scot scholar from northern Saskatchewan. This article makes a distinction between the idea of Métis people having an historical connection to a certain place versus Métis traditional homelands.
Map showing Métis homeland boundaries sparks online conversation
This CBC article from 2018 highlights controversy over what is considered Métis traditional homelands.
"The Métis"
Created by the Métis National Council, this short document features a very small section outlining what the Council believes to be Métis homelands.
Chartered Communities -- Métis Nation British Columbia
Métis Nation British Columbia represents thirty-eight Chartered Communities province-wide. Includes a list of regions and chartered communities within these regions.
Métis Nation of Ontario: MNO Chartered Community Councils
Includes a list of regions and chartered communities within these regions.

Métis Settlements

Alberta is the only province to recognize Métis title to the land.

"Métis Settlements located across the northern part of Alberta are comprised of the Paddle Prairie, Peavine, Gift Lake, East Prairie, Buffalo Lake, Kikino, Elizabeth and Fishing Lake settlements. These eight settlements form a constitutionally protected Métis land base in Canada. They comprise 505 102 ha, much of it covered by forest, pasture and farmland. [...]

In 1985 the Alberta government passed what was known as Motion 18, a resolution committing the province to transfer title of the settlements to the Métis people and to provide constitutional protection of the lands by means of an amendment to the Alberta Act.

This paved the way for the historic 1989 Alberta Settlements Accord, which passed into legislation with the 1990 Métis Settlement Act. Replacing the previous Métis Betterment Acts, the Métis Settlements Act provides for the legal transfer of land title to the Métis people, local municipal and traditional style self-government, and establishes eight settlement corporations and the Métis Settlements General Council as legal entities." (From The Canadian Encyclopedia).

Image: Maps of Métis Settlements in Alberta created by Hwy43 (Creative Commons License).