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I mostly agree, but I’ll also admit something embarrassing: the first time I heard one, I didn’t recognize the names of any of the groups or treaties mentioned, despite living in the area most of my adult life. So in that sense it educated me, and made it so their names are names I now recognize.
Sure, I could have looked it up, should have looked it up, but I didn’t. And now I know.
I think this is the idea. The whole point is to make people realize there is more history to these lands than only what happened after the British arrived.
It should have been taught to you throughout school and community initiatives
I agree!
90% of this sort of “organisational recognition” boils down to worthless lip service. Not just to indigenous land but also climate change, LGBTQ rights, and Palestine.
Saying “we care” doesn’t mean you actually care, and frankly, saying that and then doing nothing is really just insulting.
if they actually cared they would return the land, recognising you stole it and refuse to return it is a special level of fucked up
I really hated that about my uni. Beginning of every semester was such a slog because every proff wanted to do one, some of them every class, and it was always the same statement; written by a group of lawyers to make sure the wording didn’t leave any room for legal ramifications.
It’d be fine with me if they personalized it and shared ways to help reconciliation become a reality, but it was always just hollow words to pat themselves on the back and gloss over the cognitive dissonance present in all Canadian discourse even tangentially related to the Indigenous population and the government contrived problems they face.
“I acknowledge that I have stabbed you and that the knife is still in your back. Okay then, goodbye.”
Yeah reconciliation is the way forward, but empty legalese does not move us towards that.
What’s worse is the smug satisfaction that liberal career academics will radiate after they’ve done their easy recolonialism for the day. Make a call for land back, and they’ll happily lecture you on treaties and laws and the importance or cooperation with the state.
white liberalism is about making themselves feel better.
10° to the left of centre in a good day, 10° to the right of centre if it affects them.
Liberalism relies on the moral purity of its privileged to reproduce; white supremacy is inherent, not incidental. It is fickle in all values besides the imperatives of individualism and capital. That isn’t “shifting” as though they change their values incidentally, liberals’ claim to moral correctness is instrumental in how this system appropriates and disarms dissenting movements. That’s why fascists use insecure morality and reality to assert power, it is a common tactic that its proponents drew from liberal rhetoric.
What are these acknowledgements typically like?
In Australia, it usually goes like “Thank you for joining us on Gattigal [or other original tribe name] land. We pay our respects to the elders past, present and emerging.” and then the presentation goes on
This is usually used for medium to large events though, and maybe apart from first week lectures, isn’t used for small lectures or classes in my experience.
I really like that! I agree with the other commenters here that to me it feels really hollow when we’re not doing anything to back it up. This though feels meaningful. I’m going to run this by my team for our future classes. Thanks!
Edit: I realized I didn’t answer your question. Generally it’s along the lines of “we are gathered here on the traditional lands of the Snuneymuxw people. We are fortunate to live, work, and play in these lands.” It varies and people add their own bits in, but that’s what I hear mostly. Maybe I like what y’all say better because it leaves us right out, we’ve butted in enough, this is about the First Nations.
A typical British Columbian Land Acknowledgement is: “We acknowledge with the respect the First Nations on whose traditional territories we stand, and whose historical relationship with the land continues today.” Often, it goes on to draw personal or subject matter connection to reconciliation.
