Eva’s Land Acknowledgement

Eva’s Land Acknowledgement

by Eva Gavaris -
Number of replies: 2

I want to thank the Syilx people of the Okanagan Nation for welcoming us to live, learn, work and play on their beautiful, ancestral, traditional and unceded lands. I was born and raised in Southwestern New Brunswick on the traditional ancestral lands of the Passamaquoddy people, and my parents were both raised in Montreal on the traditional ancestral lands of the 

Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mohawk, and St. Lawrence Iroquoian peoples. 

My paternal family emigrated to Montreal from a small mountain village near Sparta, Greece about 55 years ago and my maternal ancestors emigrated to different parts of Eastern Canada from England and the United States (by way of maybe Ireland and Africa) several generations ago. Some of my family is near me in the Okanagan Valley, but most of my relations remain in Eastern Canada.

I don’t know that I would always include the longer story of my ancestors and relations, especially because I am fuzzy on some of the details surrounding the origins on my maternal side. I will probably use the first paragraph most often.
In reply to Eva Gavaris

Re: Eva’s Land Acknowledgement

by Derek Murray -

Just a comment on your last point: this process has also encouraged me to think about (and do a little digging) into my own family history and connections to place. Thank you for sharing.

In reply to Eva Gavaris

Re: Eva’s Land Acknowledgement

by Donna DesBiens -

Hi Eva,

I appreciate how you were able to acknowledge three different regions of Indigenous traditional lands in such a clear and concise way. 

It also felt meaningful to me that you included some of your own ancestral story, so please do consider sharing that sometimes. After all, this is the kind of information people often share with friends and colleagues in natural day to day conversations as a way of getting acquainted.  I imagine there would be some powerful stories in your maternal heritage if you ever want to explore that further for yourself.