Land Acknowledgment

ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ Amiskwacîwâskahikan, Treaty 6 Territory, Métis Nation 4

​We acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the traditional gathering place for the ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ ᐊᐢᑭᕀ Nêhiyaw-Askiy (Plains Cree), Ĩyãħé Nakón mąkóce (Stoney), Niitsítpiis-stahkoii ᖹᐟᒧᐧᐨᑯᐧ ᓴᐦᖾᐟ (Blackfoot / Niitsítapi ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ), Tsuu T’ina, Michif Piyii (Métis), Nehiyawak (Cree), Nakota Sioux (Stoney), Dene suliné, Chip-way-yan, Enoowuk, Saulteaux, Dogrib, Siksika, Piikuni, and all indigenous peoples who have called this territory home and who have been stewards of the land for thousands of years. We honour and respect their history, languages, ceremonies and culture. There is sacred connection to the land which teaches us about our inherent responsibility to protect and respect Mother Earth and we honour and acknowledge the indigenous peoples' histories, languages, & cultures which continue to influence our vibrant community. With this acknowledgement, we honour the ancestors and children who have been buried here, missing and murdered Indigenous women and men, and the process of ongoing collective healing for all human beings.

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I am a child of French colonists, born as an uninvited guest here. I honour the sacred land, humbly thank all of its First Peoples and feel privileged to live on these sacred and beautiful lands. I acknowledge my lost maternal ancestral roots which are thought to be around the rivers and lands of Haudenosaunee in the east.  Ever since very young, I feel the relationship to the land, a strong connection to the plains, mountains, forests and desert lands of these territories. I aim through my acts and thoughts to work at disrupting and dismantling the structures of colonialism, to keep learning and holding a humble and warm respect for this land and all peoples.  My hope is for all to come together, to open to whole and good ways of thinking, being and behaving, and nurture healing through Truth and Reconciliation.  We are reminded that we are all Treaty and world people, and of the responsibility we have to ourselves and to one another.  And for this we are grateful.