Where are we? How did we get here?

This module introduces learners to how our backgrounds and experiences shape our learning and how to start grounding our learning in relationship to the people and place where learning happens at UBC. In particular, this module focuses on the land acknowledgement as a place for this learning to begin. The topics covered in this module include:

Understanding the words and context of land acknowledgements
Learning why land acknowledgements are done at UBC
Reflecting on and articulating personal histories in relation to being at UBC and on Musqueam land
Encouraging and offering support in asking questions

Invitation

Have you heard the words “traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands”? Have you wondered what that means? In this module, we will begin by discussing the land acknowledgement and our relationship to it. The activities in this module give us the tools to ask questions and participate in a dialogue about Indigenous topics and ground ourselves in the place where we are doing this learning. We are invited to think of ourselves as learners and help us formulate questions we might have.

Guiding Questions

What is a land acknowledgement and why are they practiced at UBC?
How do you feel when you hear a land acknowledgement?
What aspects of your identity and background shape your connection to a land acknowledgement?
What does this mean for us as learners on unceded Musqueam lands?

Groundwork

Diving In

In order to start learning, everyone has to dive in. The activities in this section are essential preparation for meaningful engagement with the material later on. Diving In is for all levels of learners, from people just getting started to experienced scholars.

Write

Think about the first time you heard a land acknowledgement, about where you heard it and how it made you feel.
Freely write what you remember about your thoughts and feelings at the time.
Below are some question prompts to use as needed:
- Where did you hear the land acknowledgement?
- Who gave the land acknowledgement?
- Which words stood out to you?
- Did you feel → surprised, glad, confused, uncertain, thoughtful
- What were the reactions of the other listeners?
- What happened immediately after the land acknowledgement?

Watch

In the group activities, we will be watching two videos. Get a head-start in thinking about what stands out to you or what you would like to know more about.
Watch Musqueam Welcome by sʔəyəɬəq (Larry Grant) (1:52)

Watch the Delta Animation (1:53)

Reflect

On a map, mark: Where were you born, and where are the different places you grew up? Where were each of your parents or guardians born? Your grandparents? How far back to a place, or different places can you trace your family history? Map the languages you speak on a map.

Was there anything interesting, challenging, or complicated about marking those places on a map?
Has your relationship with any of these locations changed during your life? Are there blank spots? If any of these locations are associated with discomfort, what factors play into that (i.e. historical, familial, cultural, personal)?

Diving Deeper

Diving Deeper is an increased level of engagement for learners who already have some background in learning Indigenous topics and can go further in critical reflection on their relationships to land acknowledgements.

Watch

Why We Acknowledge Musqueam Territory (Linc Kesler) (2:33)
What did you notice? What questions did this raise?
Write down 2-3 questions or thoughts that occurred to you while watching. It is okay if they are uncomfortable questions or questions you are afraid to ask. We will revisit these feelings and questions later in the module.

Read

Read and reflect upon the Anatomy of a Respectful Question diagram.
What assumptions do you make when approaching new information and learning? Where does your curiosity lead you?
Reflect back on your original questions. With this diagram in mind, what new questions do you have from the Why We Acknowledge Musqueam Territory?

Surf

Visit Native-land.ca
What areas have content? What areas lack content? Does where you are from have content? What questions does this map raise?

Reflect

Compare that to the map you made of where you (and your family) are from, where you live now, and the languages you speak.

Learning Together

Diving In

Traditional, Ancestral, Unceded

1. The following are basic and broad definitions which help us to set a foundation for our learning. From UBC Indigenous Peoples Language Guide (p. 10)

Traditional: Recognizes lands traditionally used and/or occupied by the Musqueam people or other First Nations in other parts of the country.
Ancestral: Recognizes land that is handed down from generation to generation.
Unceded: Refers to land that was not turned over to the Crown by a treaty or other agreement.

2. Watch Musqueam Welcome by sʔəyəɬəq (Larry Grant) (1:52)

http://aboriginal.ubc.ca/community-youth/musqueam-and-ubc/\

Return to your questions from the Groundwork. Did this answer any of your questions? Did it raise new ones?
Write any new questions down. If you don’t have any questions, write a 2-3 sentence reflection of how you felt watching Musqueam Welcome.

3. Watch the Delta Animation (1:53)

http://www2.moa.ubc.ca/musqueamteachingkit/delta.php

How does this change the way you think about the land that UBC sits upon.
Relationship to the land as dynamic, because the land does change, just not on our timeline. Generational understanding of the dynamism of land. How has the land changed: during your lifetime? your grandparents’ lifetime? Their grandparents?
Think about this animation in relation to what you know of the history of Vancouver. The development of the city both historically and the past ten years; both where you came from and where you grew up and the changes in that place.
The geography in this animation changes drastically over the years. How has geography (both natural and human made) affected your relationship to a place? Your family’s relationship?
How much is for First Nations and how much is for the reserve?

3. With these videos and discussions in mind, reflect on the definitions of traditional, ancestral, and unceded that you saw at the beginning of the activity. How would you define these terms in your own words?

Diving Deeper

Choose one of the three activities to follow “Traditional, Ancestral, Unceded”

What Is My Relationship to the Histories of This Place?

Adapted from Time and Place Activity at UBC from http://timeandplace.ubc.ca/user-guide/theme-i/activity-b-what-is-my-relationship-to-the-histories-of-this-place/

Preparation

Participants investigate and list key events from their family history (e.g., when their family immigrated to Canada, significant events for their family members, political events that impacted their family).
Participants review the dates from the Delta Animation and select 2-4 that correspond to their family history or that speak to them.

Activity

Participants reflect on the learning process. Some reflection questions to consider:
- What surprised you? (e.g., things you didn’t know or expect)
- How is your history related to the history of this place?
- Do you see your relationship with this place differently before and after going through the timeline? How? Why?
- What did you find challenging and/or interesting when you related your history to the histories presented on the timeline? Why?
Participants get paired up and discuss their dates and events.
Participants discuss in a large group and (or reflect individually) what they have learned from the exercise. Some discussion/reflection questions to consider:
- What did you learn from sharing your history and reflections with your partner?
- What do the differences and similarities between people’s histories tell us about our social relations in this current time and place?
- How did you feel in the sharing process? Why?
- What would you like to learn more about?

How Did We Get Here?

Adapted from Time and Place Activity at UBC from http://timeandplace.ubc.ca/user-guide/theme-i/activity-a-where-are-you-from/

Preparation

Clear the room to make a large empty space.
Identify the directions: North, South, West, and East. You may put signs on the wall.

Activity

Acknowledge the discomfort and unsettled feelings that may arise from this activity regardless of one’s relationship to this place. If applicable, speak about your own discomfort when you told your story. Speaking about the effect connected to this activity openly is one way for participants to see it as “OK” to bring it up and models a way to do this.
Explain the rationale of this activity despite its risks. This activity is intended to provide participants with an entry point to articulate their relationship to the local geographical spaces that we occupy today. The more we think and reflect on this, the more we become aware of our identities and are able to represent and articulate this to others.
The center of the room represents Vancouver, Canada and the four directions: North, South, West, and East.
Using your map from prework 4 , have learners move through the space, beginning with where they grew up.
The facilitator moves to where they grew up, and shares a story about their family, moving to where their parents lived, grandparents, etc- modeling the movement of family through time.
Learners move to another place on their map, and pair with another learner, and answer these questions:
1. Where are you on the map?
2. What is this place to your history?
3. What is your relationship to it personally?
4. How do you know about this place on the map? What don’t you know? How has history shaped your knowledge of your ancestry?
End with the land acknowledgement as students stand in the room.
1. Reflect on the words traditional, ancestral, and unceded.
2. What does the land acknowledgement mean in relation to the delta animation and the presence of UBC on this land?
  - Why is it important to acknowledge Musqueam?
  - How can you relate to the land acknowledgement as an ongoing process?
  - How does the land that we learn on impact us?

Bi-Giwen: Coming Home

Adapted from “Bi-Giwen: Coming Home - Truth-Telling from the Sixties Scoop”

Using George Ella Lyon’s poem, Where I’m From, students will explore their own identity and ponder how identity is formed. This self-reflection leads to a contemplation of what Sixties Scoop Survivors may have lost when they were removed from their birth families and communities and of their resiliency today as they work to reclaim their origins. If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you are at today, or you won’t know where you’re going.

Preparation

In learning about land acknowledgements, it is important to think about yourself in relationship with land acknowledgements, where you come from, what you bring in terms of your personal and family background and history, and your relationships to people, protocols, and places.

Discuss the word “identity” or “positionality”; come up with words or ideas that contribute to how we form our identities. Encourage thinking around formative childhood experiences, parental values, and involvement in culture to get conversation flowing.

Activity

Read the poem Where I'm From aloud (page 15). Then line by line, have a new person read each line aloud.
Listen to George Ella Lyon’s voice reading her own poem.
Explain that George Ella Lyon is the Poet Laureate for the State of Kentucky for 2015-16. Her poem was chosen as it provides a strong example of identity and origin and can easily be replicated via a template.
Have students fill in the poem template inspired by Where I’m From (page 16).
Participants can choose to present their poems in small groups and explain their choice of words.
Ask participants to reflect upon and share how making their own poems impacts their understanding of their home families and communities.
- What was your process for writing your own “Where I’m from” poem? What was surprising?
- How did writing the poem help your own self-awareness and sense of identity?
- How does your poem express what you bring as a learner to Musqueam lands?
- How does your poem relate to your own (or family, or cultural) definitions of “wealth”?

Talk About It

Where does this learning lead us? Talking about it, what we have learned, where we go next, provides an opportunity for learners to connect what they have learned to their position as learners at UBC.

Context: This section should hold the most amount of time compared to the other sections. Depending on the size of group, there should be enough time for most people to speak and voice their observations or talk through thoughts they are working through. This is not the part to “teach” the participants, but to let them do most of the talking; this section will be the most different between groups as each group of participants will make this section unique to what they bring to the discussion and where their questions lead. Connect focus questions in this section with the activities chosen in Learning Together. Rather than trying to answer questions that you cannot answer or only have incomplete knowledge, record the questions participants ask on the board. At the end, reflect on how these questions will carry us on to the next stage of learning. At the end of this period, there should also be a space for community care; don’t let the group leave without some support for their emotions and recognition of the learning they have accomplished so far.

What was your educational experience up to this point? What values did it bestow, and what was important enough to be taught?
What are things that you want to learn related to Musqueam and First Nations history?
How is the land acknowledgement a starting place for individual learning? How is it an introduction to the community? What kind of tone does it set?
1. What does a land acknowledgement have to do with the course you are taking/today’s context?
2. What aspects of your identity shape your connection to a land acknowledgement?
3. What will you highlight when you craft a land acknowledgement?
4. Where (in which situation) is a land acknowledgement most impactful?
What are 2 things you noticed watching these videos that enhanced your understanding?
In your own words, define the words traditional, ancestral, and unceded.
How have your questions changed, if at all?
Why is it personally meaningful for you to be a learner and guest on Musqueam lands?
What are the ways to think about our history and the potential for relationships that surrounds us?
Have you learned more about your own positionality and how that informs your role in the classroom? What were some things that you worked through during this exercise? What are some takeaways?

Quescussion

Adapted from “Humber College - Teaching Methods - Quescussion”

Open discussion on the topic of land acknowledgements.

Quescussion, as the name indicates, is a type of discussion that is conducted entirely in the form of questions (think Alex Trebek). Facilitators and participants must multi-task during this game. It is very engaging, requiring the participant to stay in tune with the rules of the game in addition to answering content questions. Use the question-crafting skills learnt from the Anatomy of a Respectful Question diagram.

Rules:

You may only speak in questions.
If you speak, you must wait for at least 3 others to speak before speaking again.
No fake questions (i.e., a statement disguised as a question. For example, "Small classes are better than large ones, aren't they?").
No put down’s, an attack on someone else (i.e., "You would have to be crazy to think that, wouldn't you?" - this is also a disguised statement).
The exercise is self-policing.

By following these rules, the quescussion can be an effective way to generate discussion and learning and to determine what are the levels of understanding on a specific topic. It can also be used to help lead topics that will be covered in subsequent modules. By framing the discussion into questions, students feel less intimidated to speak in front of a large class. The rule of speaking every 3rd time generates a variety of voices and allows for reflection while waiting for a turn to speak. Record the questions either on the board or on a large sheet of paper to show the progression of questions for the entire group.

Walk the Talk

Here are some ideas for continuing your learning.

Follow the prompts to move from CURIOSITY to ACTION.

1. Learn more about Musqueam history.

a. Write down 3 important dates in your own life, in your family history, or 3 events that are historically significant to you.

b. Review the Fraser Delta animation video (http://www2.moa.ubc.ca/musqueamteachingkit/delta.php), paying special attention to what is happening on the map around the dates you chose.

c. Take a look at Ch. 6 “Our History” from xwməθkwəyə̓ m: qwi:lq̕ wəl̕ ʔə kwθə snəwe̓ yəɬ ct Musqueam: giving information about our teachings (http://www2.moa.ubc.ca/musqueamteachingkit/media/pdf/Chapter%206_Eng.pdf, especially pgs. 113-118).

d. Have a conversation with someone about this experience and share what you learned.

2. Explore Indigenous presence in the city.

a. Watch the Vancouver Newcomers Guide: Aboriginal Perspectives video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4mg5IDKbmg&feature=youtu.be)

b. Take a look at the City of Vancouver’s First Peoples: A Guide for Newcomers (https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/First-Peoples-A-Guide-for-Newcomers.pdf).

c. What do you know about the history of the city where you were born or grew up?

d. Investigate the history of First Peoples in a city that is important to you and share this information with someone you know who lives there.

3. Go deeper with land acknowledgements.

a. Read “Welcome to Musqueam Territory” by UBC alumna Emily Morantz (https://students.ubc.ca/ubclife/welcome-musqueam-territory?utm_source=post-recent-cat).

b. Have you ever made a land acknowledgement? If so, what did you learn in the workshop that was relevant to how you approach this? If not, can you imagine an instance where you would do so?

c. What are some things you already know, are starting to learn, or would like to find out more about to prepare yourself?

d. The next time you hear someone give a land acknowledgement, approach them afterward and have a conversation about their perspective and approach. Begin writing down your own list of things you would include when making a land acknowledgement.

4. Indigenous Foundations.

a. Ask yourself some questions: What do you know about the Indian Act? What do you know about the Sixties Scoop?

b. Go to the Indigenous Foundations website (https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/). Locate and read the articles on the topics referred to.

c. Come up with a list of topics or questions related to First Nations issues that you would like more information on and see what answers you can find on the Indigenous Foundations website. Take it further by applying what you are learning to what you will study at UBC and/or use this as a starting point for a school project.

5. Wondering about Language?

a. Write down 3-4 questions about language you would like clarified. They may be lingering questions from the workshop, for example, “What is the difference between a house post and a totem pole?” or “What does Aboriginal refer to?”

b. Read UBC’s Indigenous Peoples: Language Guidelines (https://assets.brand.ubc.ca/downloads/ubc_indigenous_peoples_language_guide.pdf) and the articles in the “Identity and Terminology” section in Indigenous Foundations (https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/identity/).

c. Think of some situations where you might practice some of this unfamiliar language and/or words that your are not certain about. What will you do if someone corrects you? What can you do to help yourself continue learning even if you feel uncertain or uncomfortable with language?

d. Practice! Apply what you’ve learned by using the new terminology whenever it is relevant in conversations or written communication. Note down instances where you see this language being used in the media, in your coursework, or in public and private conversations. What do you notice about your evolving understanding of these words?