https://students.ubc.ca/ubclife/what-land-acknowledgement
Visited 6 September 2018
This site introduces the land acknowledgement at UBC, stating that “this land acknowledgement has become common practice at University events, business meetings, and in official documents” but it is not “just a formality.” The site defines traditional, ancestral, and unceded, and what most strikes me about this statement is the acknowledgement of unceded—that UBC is built on “land that was not turned over to the Crown by a treaty or other agreement”—and the silence of anything else. It feels like a person standing before a judge saying, “Your Honour, I admit that the $2,000,000 piece of land on which I built my house I acquired from Bob without asking Bob for it.” There is no apology. There is no offer to give the land back or purchase it at a fair price. It is simply an acknowledgement of guilt: “Yep. I took it.” Is unceded a legal euphemism for stolen?
That’s a great point David, I hadn’t considered what ‘unceded’ actually means and its implications. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Hi David
Students gain clarity when we explain:
Traditional: recognizes lands traditionally used and/or occupied by the Musqueam people or other First Nations in other parts of the country.
Ancestral: recognizes land that is handed down from generation to generation.
Unceded: refers to land that was not turned over to the Crown by a treaty or other agreement.
Thank you for your post.
Hello Amanda,
Thank you for your reply. Your comment helps me make a connection of why the land acknowledgement is incomplete in my experience. Namely, I do not recall anyone ever explaining the significance of these words in the context of speaking the land acknowledgement. Neither has anyone in my recollection directed me to this site. I found the site out of personal interest. As you say, “Students gain clarity when we explain.” If someone speaks a land acknowledgement, which as the site states and my personal experience confirms is “common practice” without explaining, then is learning occurring?