Tag Archives: land acknowledgement

M4: Entry 5 – Elder Wisdom in the Classroom

As I complete my Land Acknowledgment project that I will be implementing in my classes in the fall, I have been reflecting on the importance of input from the Elders within my school district. This will be an essential step to take before publishing the project in my online classes to ensure that the writing I have completed is respectful and appropriate to our area.

For reference on proper protocol when working with Elders, Ramona Big Head wrote a guide for the Alberta Learning – Walking Together Program called Elder Wisdom in the Classroom. It explains what an Elder is and the guidelines for inviting an Elder into your classroom.

” The Elders of our time are the heart of cultural existence. A sad reality is that our Elders will not be with us forever. However, inviting and having Elders share their knowledge is one way of ensuring that their stories, songs, teachings and wisdom are kept alive for many generations to come. ”
– Ramona Big Head

Big Head, Ramona. (2011). Elder Wisdom in the Classroom. [PDF]. Alberta Learning. https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/Elders/documents/elder_wisdom_in_classroom.pdf

M3: Entry 5 – Google My Maps

As part of my land acknowledgment project, I want to create an interactive tool where students can share photos, videos or written stories to allow them to reflect on the land on which they live. As an online teacher, I have students across the province of Alberta so I have been playing around with a few different online tools such as ThingLink and Genially to find the best way to share a map that students can add to themselves. I found that Google My Maps was the easiest solution as it is free to users and quick to learn. It looks like there are many applications of the tool for different subject areas.

Mr Lee Teaches. (2018, November 30). Google My Maps| Have Students Create Custom Maps for Any Subject. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvpt18Hi86w

M3: Entry 4 – The importance of Land

The following clips are from a presentation by Dr. Dwayne Donald, a professor at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Education. As part of his talk, he explains that to understand Indigenous people we need to first understand the local stories of the land. In the second video, he tells two stories based on the Okotoks Erratic and the Mistaseni Rock in Saskatchewan. With these stories, he shows how the land is an important part of the identity of the Indigenous people in the area.

The ERLC YouTube channel has several other videos taken from his talk, as well as some other great resources related to Indigenous education.

Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium. [Donald, Dwayne]. (2019, April 29). The Connection between Land and People. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/PBumxYQh1UU?list=PL6P1FySUgEPQa2NkYE2Pak0h5-d8n5A20

M3:Entry 2 – Indigenous Perspectives On Land Acknowledgements

Whenever, we as non-Indigenous people, address issues such as reconciliation, treaties or land acknowledgements it is important to seek out the perspectives of those in the Indigenous community. I thought the following article in Vice was interesting as it focused on the thoughts of Indigenous artists. A common theme was most of the land acknowledgments they heard were not authentic and they expressed the need for them to be active and address relationships with the land.

Reference:

Isador, Gregory. (August 9, 2019). Indigenous Artist Tell Us What They Think About Land Acknowledgements. Vice. https://www.vice.com/en/article/j5yxbd/indigenous-artists-tell-us-what-they-think-about-land-acknowledgements

Beyond a Formal Acknowledgement

Module 2 Post 5

The article discusses the City of Vancouver’s formally acknowledging that it was located on the “unceded territory of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish Indigenous peoples” and how it does not improve the life’s of the Indigenous people of the area but is it just a “settler move to innocence”.

Hamilton, H.G. (2015, January 7). Beyond a Formal Acknowledgement. The Mainlander. https://themainlander.com/2015/01/07/beyond-a-formal-acknowledgement/

Image from the First Peoples Guide for Newcomers

Land acknowledgements in the academy: Refusing the settler myth

MODULE 2: ENTRY 4

The article is a critical review of Land Acknowledgements from Indigenous PhD student Joe Wark.

“While initially understood as culturally based political statements to resist the erasure of Indigenous presence and colonial violence, these practices have been repurposed in settler institutions. Land acknowledgements have now become deeply embedded in state-sponsored “forgive-and-forget” reconciliation efforts that seek to absorb Indigenous peoples into the body politic of “good Canadians.”

– Wark (2021).

Joe Wark (2021) Land acknowledgements in the academy: Refusing the settler myth, Curriculum Inquiry, 51:2, 191-209, DOI: 10.1080/03626784.2021.1889924

Photo by Ali Kazal on Unsplash

Finding Your Personal Land Acknowledgement

MODULE 2: ENTRY 3

The University of Saskatchewan has developed an excellent website on developing your own land acknowledgement.

“To do this, you must use your own voice and provide the Land Acknowledgement from your heart.“

The site has 5 videos that provide the why, historical perspectives and lastly building your own acknowledgement. It is part of a set of free online learning modules called Indigenous Voices. Other topics include Indigenous Education, Power and Privilege and Land Agreements.

Reference:

University of Saskatchewan. (2021). Land Acknowledgements. https://teaching.usask.ca/curriculum/indigenous_voices/land-acknowledgements/module.php

Understanding the Land Acknowledgement

MODULE 2: ENTRY 1

The York University Land Acknowledgement could be used with staff and students to explain why acknowledgements are used. It is from the perspective of the University but the concepts can apply to any of our school buildings. There are several professors and students that speak to why acknowledgements are important and how we can make them more meaningful rather than something you check off as part of your meeting or presentation.

Reference:

cass yorku. (2019, January 2). Understanding the Land Acknowledgment. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNZi301-p8k

MODULE 1: POST 2 – Indigenous Protocols

I came across this Indigenous Protocol guide and thought that it would be useful to share. It is always important to know the proper protocols so that we can learn and share the knowledge and information in a respectable way. In this guide, there is information on how to properly and respectfully show recognition of Indigenous land acknowledgement. Land acknowledgment should be engrained into our minds like how national anthems are. The Indigenous land acknowledgement should be our anthem: one that is learned, repeated, and memorized.

There are also elder protocols where you learn how treat them with respect and know how to meet their needs. We should be showing elders respect like how people show respect to the royal family. Elders are individuals that can teach us more than we know and should be provided with the utmost respect. It is a privilege and honour to be in the presence of an elder.

Finally there are talking stick protocols that teach us how to use this powerful tool used for communication, potlatch protocols on how to attend ceremonies, powwow protocols that need to be respected, and Indigenous cultural tourism protocols to consider when traveling.

Check out the guidebook here: Indigenous Protocol

Canada’s Impossible Acknowledgment

MODULE 1: ENTRY 5

The article “Canada’s Impossible Acknowledgement” was published in the New Yorker in 2017. The article provides some perspective on Canadian history, inclusion in acknowledgements, and the issues that are holding back the progress of true reconciliation.

Reference:

Marche, Stephen. (2017, September 7). Canada’s Impossible Acknowledgement. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/canadas-impossible-acknowledgment