Land Acknowledgement
We respectfully acknowledge the lands on which we gather as the ancestral and
unceded homelands of many peoples.
We gather today in Mi’kma’ki (mee-gum-maqi) which is the
unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq (mee-gum-maq).
We recognize all First Peoples who were here before us, those who live with us
now, and the seven generations to come. As First Peoples have done since time
immemorial, we strive to be responsible stewards of the land and to respect the
cultures, ceremonies, and traditions of all who call it home. As we open our
hearts and minds to the past, we commit ourselves to working in a spirit of truth
and reconciliation to make a better future for all. And we commit to
remembering that we are all treaty people.
Explanation – why we as settlers do land acknowledgements:
To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those
whose territory you reside on, and a way of honouring the Indigenous people who
have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. It is important
to understand the long-standing history that has brought you to reside on the
land, and to seek to understand your place within that history. Land
acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism
is a current ongoing process, and we need to build our mindfulness of our present
participation. It is also worth noting that acknowledging the land is Indigenous
protocol.
