Acknowledging Traditional Territory

Acknowledging territory is a way of honouring and showing respect for a group of people who have been living, stewarding, and working on this land since time immemorial. This is something non-Indigenous people do, to acknowledge that fact that they are settlers on this land and that this land was not ceded. 

The acknowledgement is meant to be personalized. Consider acknowledging how you personally benefit or have come to be on this land. Situate yourself and do your best. Accept and expect discomfort, as discomfort is what leads to growth, and go forward with courage. 

Important protocol: Acknowledging the peoples whose land you are gathered on and their contribution to the well-being and vitality of the land.  

Think about your own workplace, home, and the places you get to enjoy, and try writing your own personal land acknowledgement today! For reference, look at qathet School District’s below:   

We would like to express our respect for and gratitude to the Tla’amin peoples whose traditional and treaty territory qathet School District resides on. We recognize the ongoing impacts of colonialism and are committed to our own learning and unlearning while courageously working towards decolonization and indigenization through truth, healing, celebration and reconciliation.