Understanding Territorial Acknowledgement as a Respectful Relationship

Territorial acknowledgements are now being made in many post-secondary institutions across the country. The Canadian Association of University Teachers has developed a living resource called Guide to Acknowledging First Peoples and Traditional Territory¹, which shows how institutions are identifying the traditional First Nation and Inuit territories they reside upon. As an educator, you play a part in modelling and sharing this learning with students. Meaningful territorial acknowledgements develop a closer relationship with the land and stewards of the place by recognizing the living history and connections of ourselves with other communities. Providing a territorial acknowledgement is protocol. In this Vancouver Island University welcome video², Snuneymuxw Elder Gary Manson speaks to the importance of protocol when doing a territorial acknowledgement. Acknowledging territory is political, an act of alliance, and a practice for reconciliation.

Learning to do a territorial acknowledgement takes time. You can learn from other leaders and colleagues. As you build connections with the land, you also build connections with and belonging to Indigenous community; it enables you to engage with education and community in the classroom, together. Modelling a territorial acknowledgement for students creates space to talk about systemic change. In his blog, Liberated Yet?, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh-Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw educator and artist Khelsilem (2015) shares five tips for acknowledging territory:

1. Elevate Indigenous polity (society, governance, and jurisdiction)
2. Practice unceded territory, don’t just talk about it
3. Move the yardstick – centre yourself and your role in the acknowledgement
4. Don’t insert yourself into internal politics by only sharing one perspective
5. Make mistakes so you can learn

By providing a meaningful territorial acknowledgment, you are deepening your understanding and incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems and perspectives in your practice.

Always introduce yourself at the beginning of a meeting. An introduction should include who you are and where you come from, which means your family’s cultural and geographical background prior to being a settler in North America, (i.e. Where is your family indigenous to?) Do not say you are from Canada or the United States. You may also include who your parents and grandparents are and where they are from. This allows a deeper understanding of your family lineage and situates you in relation to the people you are interacting with.

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