Land Acknowledgement Framework
Background on Land Acknowledgements
The practice of acknowledging the land, as well as the laws and peoples connected to the land, is a longstanding custom practised by Indigenous communities and predates European contact. It is a gesture of respect, gratitude, and humility.
For settlers, a land acknowledgment is not just a routine checklist item on the agenda or something you are “supposed to do” at the start of an event. Instead, each acknowledgement should be treated as an opportunity to thoughtfully reflect on about the history of the land, honour the Nations who have and continue to be its caretakers, and contemplate your p ersonal connection to the land and to Indigenous peoples.
The purpose of land acknowledgements is to shake settlers out of our ignorance and generate a more truthful account of history. It helps us recognise that history on this land began long before 1867 and that present-day Canada is a settler colonial state made possible through dispossession and violence. It also reminds of our moral duty to establish right relations and make amends for historical and ongoing harms.
TCAN’s Land Acknowledgement
Based on feedback from Indigenous writers and thinkers, we have chosen not to create a scripted statement. Too often, these acknowledgements are hastily and superficially recited as a substitute for genuine commitment to changing one’s ways. We believe the land acknowledgements at TCAN meetings should not be hollow, performative gestures but instead demonstrate a genuine and active effort to better understand what it means to be an uninvited guest on this land.
In place of a script, we have developed a skeleton that will hopefully produce more thoughtful and meaningful acknowledgements. Rather than a formulaic prescription, our framework poses questions that asks the speaker to devote time and care into doing some research and personal reflection.
It is essential that, as settlers, we put in the work of learning about the Nations and treaties of this land because, as Emma Battell Lowman and Adam Barker write, “Canada has never had an ‘Indian problem’ — but it does have a Settler problem.”
The Varsity newspaper published an editorial — titled “To properly acknowledge Indigenous territory, go off script” — that encapsulates very well the thought behind this framework: “Beyond acknowledging the land, the speaker should also describe what they intend to do about it. It is important that the land acknowledgement be partially self-written — personalised and catered to both the speaker and the audience. We encourage the speaker to disclose their relationship to the land and what the acknowledgement personally means to them. They should address how the land acknowledgement speaks to the event in question and also how the organiser of the event intends to better serve — in concrete terms — the Indigenous people and the land that they acknowledge.”
Components:
Things to know or keep in mind
Whose traditional territory are we on?
The Anishinaabeg (ah-nish-nah-bek*)
This includes the Ojibwe, Odawa, Algonquin, Potawatomi, Nipissing, Mississaugas, and Saulteaux Nations.
The Haudenosaunee Confederacy (ho-den-no-show-nee*), also known as the Six Nations Confederacy which comprises the following Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora.
The Wendat
Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation
Any other Nations, recorded and unrecorded, who have taken care of this land
*Practise pronouncing the names of the Nations out loud beforehand. If you are unsure about how the pronunciation, look it up online or visit a friendship centre (e.g., the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, First Nations House at UofT)
What treaties apply to this land?
Dish with One Spoon Wampum
● "Toronto is in the 'Dish With One Spoon Territory’. The Dish With One Spoon is a treaty between the Anishinaabeg, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee that bound them to share the territory and protect the land. Subsequent Indigenous Nations and peoples, Europeans and all newcomers have been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship and respect.
“The ‘Dish’, or sometimes it is called the ‘Bowl’, represents what is now southern Ontario, from the Great Lakes to Quebec and from Lake Simcoe into the United States. *We all eat out of the Dish, all of us that share this territory, with only one spoon. That means we have to share the responsibility of ensuring the dish is never empty, which includes taking care of the land and the creatures we share it with. Importantly, there are no knives at the table, representing that we must keep the peace. The dish is graphically represented by the wampum below.” (Ryerson University, 2019)
The Toronto Purchase (Treaty 13)
● Signed in 1805 between the Crown and the Mississaugas of the Credit
● Applies between Brown’s Line and Woodbine Avenue and north into Newmarket
Williams Treaties of 1923
● Signed between the Crown and multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands
● Applies east of Woodbine Avenue
Your personal reflections and research
Questions to consider:
● Why is this acknowledgement happening?
● How does this acknowledgement relate to the event or work you’re doing?
● What is your relationship to this land? If you are a settler, how and when did you or your ancestors come to be here?
● If you are a guest on this land, what do you know about the history of this land? What about the treaties? How were they negotiated and what obligations do they stipulate?
● What stories were you told about this land growing up (from school, at home, etc.)?
● How has your ancestors’ relationship to this land opened up or shut out your access to land, wealth, or power today? Do you or your family own property or land?
● What are some of the privileges you enjoy today as a result of historical and ongoing colonial violence?
● What relationships do you have with Indigenous communities in Toronto?
● What are you, or your organisation, doing in your work that might be perpetuating colonial attitudes or practices?
● Conversely, what are you doing to disrupt colonialism and support Indigenous peoples to ensure they have a thriving future on this land?
Here are some other suggestions. Feel free to come up with your own!
● Research an ongoing struggle by Indigenous land defenders or water protectors (e.g., Free Grassy Narrows, Stop Alton Gas, Unist’ot’en Camp). Share what’s happening as well as any demands or calls for support that the organisers have made. You can also pass around a hat to collect donations.
● Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action. Did any stand out to you? Are there ways you can take part in implementing them?
Bibliography
Battell Lowman, E., & Barker, A. J. (2015). Settler: Identity and Colonialism in 21st Century Canada. Winnipeg: Fernwood Publishing.
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. (2019). Land Acknowledgment. Retrieved from Buddies in Bad Times Theatre: http://buddiesinbadtimes.com/land-acknowledgment/
City of Toronto. (2019, February). Land Acknowledgement. Retrieved from City of Toronto: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accessibility-human-rights/indigenous-affairs- office/land-acknowledgement/
Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada. (2018). A guide to Indigenous land acknowledgements. Retrieved from Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada: https://chfcanada.coop/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Land-acknowledgement-Final.pd f
Jones, A. (n.d.). Territory Acknowledgement. Retrieved from Native Land Digital: https://native-land.ca/territory-acknowledgement/
Laurier Students' Public Interest Research Group. (n.d.). Know The Land Territories Campaign. Retrieved from Laurier Students' Public Interest Research Group: http://www.lspirg.org/knowtheland
Ontario Federation of Labour. (2017, May 31). Traditional Territory Acknowledgements in Ontario. Retrieved from Ontario Federation of Labour: https://ofl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017.05.31-Traditional-Territory-Acknowledgement-i n-Ont.pdf
Ryerson University. (n.d.). Ryerson Land Acknowledgement. Retrieved from Ryerson University Aboriginal Education Council: https://www.ryerson.ca/aec/land-acknowledgement/
Smith, J., Puckett, C., & Simon, W. (2016). Indigenous Allyship: An Overview. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University.
The Varsity Editorial Board. (2019, March 16). To properly acknowledge Indigenous territory, go off script. Retrieved from The Varsity: https://thevarsity.ca/2019/03/16/to-properly-acknowledge-indigenous-territory-go-off-s cript/
Toronto District School Board. (2016). Treaty Acknowledgement. Retrieved from Toronto District School Board:
https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/Elementary/Treaty%20AcknowledgementFINAL.pdf