Hello,
Okanagan College's official land acknowledgement from
CAUT is: “We
would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is the
unceded territory of the Syilx (Okanagan) Peoples.”
Though I appreciate having an example set, it is a bit sterile. I would like to amplify it a bit and deviate from that script.
I thank the Syilx (Okanagan) Peoples for welcoming us on their unceded territory.
[I would also like to add a more personal acknowledgement and tell a bit of my own story:]
I was born of settlers from France, Ireland, and Scotland. My mother’s family first settled in Quebec and my female ancestors were “daughters of the King”. I was raised in Northern Ontario in Robinson-Huron Treaty territory and Atikameksheng Anishnaabeg traditional land. My studies continued on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishnaabeg, and Haudenosaunee Peoples.
My first job was at Saint Boniface University, the homeland of the Métis Nation. I walked to Louis Riel’s tomb on a weekly basis to remind me of injustices done by settlers and ancestors alike. I have started to learn the importance of place and am learning the value of humility and listening in reconciliation. I am now a settler on Okanagan lands and I am fortunate to be greeted here.
Leslie