Land Acknowledgements in Canada

This article was written on the stolen land of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Watuth). While talking about land acknowledgements within institutions on the turtle island, its crucial to recognize the importance of land and space. And in doing so, uplifting the voices of Indigenous nations and peoples.

Land acknowledgements are an act of reconciliation that involves recognizing the traditional territory of the Indigenous peoples and their history before the arrival of settlers. Many Canadian universities have adopted this by publicly acknowledging Indigenous land, titles, treaties and peoples to create a safe and welcoming space for Indigenous students and partly to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada final report (publication 2015). These acknowledgements can be seen as a subtle way of recognizing the history of colonialism and trauma inflicted by the settler state on Indigenous lands, culture and peoples.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada is part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement and was created in order to recognize the trans-generational trauma and cultural genocide that was inflicted on Indigenous peoples through Indian Residential Schools, 60s scoop and the erasure of land titles. The TRC also acts as a mandate aimed to inform Canadians and other settlers about the history of colonialism. It does so by documenting the truth from survivors, families, communities and anyone that has been personally impacted by the Residential Schools. The TRC also provides accounts of the government, former school employees, and other Canadians. Therefore, the TRC aims to provide an unbiased and dynamic history of the Indian Residential Schools in order to better inform future generations.The TRC document consists of clauses outlining the ways we can recognize the history and ongoing colonization, and how we can implement that to perform reconciliation in every aspect of our lives. The document includes a range of issues involving child welfare, education, language and culture, health, justice, and reconciliation.

Along with the traumatic impacts from the Indian Residential Schools, the TRC outlines clauses on land and title. The colonization by settlers resulted in the creation of unceded territory, i.e. land that was never given up by the Indigenous peoples and therefore is stolen land. The TRC aims to "repudiate concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous lands and peoples such as the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius". When settlers arrived, they thought they had discovered the country of Canada. However, Indigenous peoples had been living there for years before. Thus, the TRC asks to refuse the concepts of discovery and terra nulluis (nobody's land) in order to recognize the existence of Indigenous peoples before the arrival of settlers. We can thus view land acknowledgements as a stepping stone to move away from these concepts of discovery and terra nulluis (nobody's land).

Concept of Post-Colonialism

It is important to note that colonialism is not a thing of the past; it is not post. We are not in a post-colonialist society, it is an ongoing phenomenon that still impacts the lives of Indigenous peoples and the generations that have come after. Many activists and Indigenous peoples share the belief that colonialism is ongoing. For example, Aborigine activist Bobby Sykes says, "What? Post-colonialism? Have they left?". Colonialism is one expression of imperialism and can be viewed as a discursive field of knowledge. It is often written from the point of view of people who have experiences from colonized societies. Imperialism and colonialism have brought disorder to Indigenous peoples. The forms of colonialism such as the Indian Residential Schools, 60s scoop, title and treaties have disconnected them from their histories, their landscapes, their languages, their social relations and their own ways of thinking, feeling and interacting with the world. This fragmentation is still very present in today's society and thus, we can claim that we are not in a post-colonialist society.

Land Acknowledgements in Universities

Land acknowledgements are to recognize that settlers are visitors on this land that is colonized. It is to remind settlers that this land is unceded and representative of the cultural genocide that was experienced by people that are very much still present in society. "Activism from movements such as Idle No More and influence of events such as the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and the 2008 to 2015 Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation Commission" has resulted in the use of land acknowledgements in institutions such as universities.

While land acknowledgements are of significant, they require education and knowledge about the variety of Indigenous bands and nations that live in Canada. We must know whose land we are on to be able to acknowledge them appropriately. "It changes depending on who is in the room, what those specific relations are historically, and in the present moment, what is going on in the ever-changing natural world and the other-than-human relationships there". Land acknowledgements can also be viewed as stepping stones towards a decolonizing approach.

Limits and Criticisms of Land Acknowledgements

While these acknowledgements are symbolic of adopting a decolonizing perspective to work towards reconciliation, they have become items on a checklist to do before starting an event or in academic settings, before a lecture. Indigenous activists have claimed that due to this, acknowledgements no longer seem genuine or authentic. For them, there is an absence of contextualizing the land acknowledgements. These acknowledgements are not only for the present Indigenous peoples but also to the ancestors that were stolen from their lands and forcefully re-socialized in an attempt "to kill the Indian". Thus, while it is an important step to recognize the land you are on, the replication of acknowledgements reflect ignorance of the history and can be seen as token gesture rather than a meaningful practice. Another limit of acknowledgements is that it is offering a script to people to replicate; "it's giving them language but it's not meant to e set language", says Shana Dion, assistant dean of First Nations, Metis and Inuit students at the University of Alberta. Wilkes et al. claims that "it is important for universities and other institutions to critically question what is meant by acknowledgement and who is doing it". They suggest that settlers who read these acknowledgements do not have an understanding of Indigenous history or the development of the acknowledgement practice.

Terra Nullius

The important of land acknowledgements is rooted in ideas of teaching and learning and early proponents claim that they serve as subtle ways of unsettling terra nullius. The concept of terra nullius is rooted in "the myth that settlers found empty land available to them, rather than a richly populated continent with diverse, vibrant, place-based cultures". While land acknowledgements might not have a large decolonizing impact on reconciliation, they do act as catalysts.