{"id":75,"date":"2021-03-25T17:20:29","date_gmt":"2021-03-25T21:20:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/dcbsnindigenizationguide\/chapter\/understanding-territorial-acknowledgement-as-a-respectful-relationship-pulling-together-a-guide-for-teachers-and-instructors\/"},"modified":"2021-04-29T14:25:21","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T18:25:21","slug":"understanding-territorial-acknowledgement-as-a-respectful-relationship-pulling-together-a-guide-for-teachers-and-instructors","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/dcbsnindigenizationguide\/chapter\/understanding-territorial-acknowledgement-as-a-respectful-relationship-pulling-together-a-guide-for-teachers-and-instructors\/","title":{"raw":"Understanding Territorial Acknowledgement as a Respectful Relationship","rendered":"Understanding Territorial Acknowledgement as a Respectful Relationship"},"content":{"raw":"
\r\n
As an Indigenous scholar, ethical practice is rooted in cultural protocols and in this I acknowledge that I have experienced many transformative approaches which reflect teachings from these lands. Therefore, I acknowledge the territories for facilitating and assisting in the development of Indigenous leadership, pedagogies and transformation within academia. The relationships we develop within these territories can assist in spiritual, emotional, physical and mental well-being for students, administrators and faculty. I also acknowledge that it is a form of respect, wherever we live, to find out whose traditional territory we are on because every part of what is now known as Canada is someone\u2019s Indigenous traditional territory.\r\n\u2013 Todd Ormiston (personal communication, 2017)<\/div>\r\nTerritorial 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 Territory<\/em>1<\/sup><\/span>, 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<\/sup><\/span>, 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.\r\n\r\nLearning 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?, S\u1e35wx\u0331w\u00fa7mesh-Kwakwa\u0331ka\u0331\u2019wakw educator and artist Khelsilem (2015) shares five tips for acknowledging territory:\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Elevate Indigenous polity (society, governance, and jurisdiction)<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Practice unceded territory, don\u2019t just talk about it<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Move the yardstick \u2013 centre yourself and your role in the acknowledgement<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. Don\u2019t insert yourself into internal politics by only sharing one perspective<\/li>\r\n \t
  5. Make mistakes so you can learn<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nBy providing a meaningful territorial acknowledgment, you are deepening your understanding and incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems and perspectives in your practice.\r\n\r\nAlways introduce yourself<\/strong>\u00a0at the beginning of a meeting. An introduction should include who you are and where you come from, which means your family\u2019s 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.\r\n\r\n
    \r\n\r\nReferences\r\n
    \r\n
      \r\n \t
    1. Guide to Acknowledging First Peoples and Traditional Territory: https:\/\/www.caut.ca\/content\/guide-acknowledging-first-peoples-traditional-territory<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t
    2. Vancouver Island University Welcome video: https:\/\/aboriginal.viu.ca\/<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"
      \n
      As an Indigenous scholar, ethical practice is rooted in cultural protocols and in this I acknowledge that I have experienced many transformative approaches which reflect teachings from these lands. Therefore, I acknowledge the territories for facilitating and assisting in the development of Indigenous leadership, pedagogies and transformation within academia. The relationships we develop within these territories can assist in spiritual, emotional, physical and mental well-being for students, administrators and faculty. I also acknowledge that it is a form of respect, wherever we live, to find out whose traditional territory we are on because every part of what is now known as Canada is someone\u2019s Indigenous traditional territory.
      \n\u2013 Todd Ormiston (personal communication, 2017)<\/div>\n

      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 Territory<\/em>1<\/sup><\/span>, 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<\/sup><\/span>, 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.<\/p>\n

      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?, S\u1e35wx\u0331w\u00fa7mesh-Kwakwa\u0331ka\u0331\u2019wakw educator and artist Khelsilem (2015) shares five tips for acknowledging territory:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Elevate Indigenous polity (society, governance, and jurisdiction)<\/li>\n
      2. Practice unceded territory, don\u2019t just talk about it<\/li>\n
      3. Move the yardstick \u2013 centre yourself and your role in the acknowledgement<\/li>\n
      4. Don\u2019t insert yourself into internal politics by only sharing one perspective<\/li>\n
      5. Make mistakes so you can learn<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        By providing a meaningful territorial acknowledgment, you are deepening your understanding and incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems and perspectives in your practice.<\/p>\n

        Always introduce yourself<\/strong>\u00a0at the beginning of a meeting. An introduction should include who you are and where you come from, which means your family\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

        \n

        References<\/p>\n

        \n
          \n
        1. Guide to Acknowledging First Peoples and Traditional Territory: https:\/\/www.caut.ca\/content\/guide-acknowledging-first-peoples-traditional-territory<\/a><\/li>\n
        2. Vancouver Island University Welcome video: https:\/\/aboriginal.viu.ca\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1296,"menu_order":14,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-75","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":3,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/dcbsnindigenizationguide\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/75","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/dcbsnindigenizationguide\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/dcbsnindigenizationguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/dcbsnindigenizationguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1296"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/dcbsnindigenizationguide\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/75\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":369,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/dcbsnindigenizationguide\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/75\/revisions\/369"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/dcbsnindigenizationguide\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/3"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/dcbsnindigenizationguide\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/75\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/dcbsnindigenizationguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/dcbsnindigenizationguide\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=75"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/dcbsnindigenizationguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=75"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/dcbsnindigenizationguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=75"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}