TERRITORIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Concordia University is located on unceded Indigenous lands. The Kanien’kehá:ka Nation is recognized as the custodians of the lands and waters on which we gather today. Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal is historically known as a gathering place for many First Nations. Today, it is home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other peoples. We respect the continued connections with the past, present and future in our ongoing relationships with Indigenous and other peoples within the Montreal community.
Concordia University Territorial Acknowledgement
http://www.concordia.ca/indigenous
Land acknowledgements can be presented by everyone, and non-Indigenous people are encouraged to make use of one for their events. When you speak or hear this acknowledgement, we also encourage you to draw connections to the specific context in which you are gathering and to the land that you stand on. How does your event and your actions connect to Indigenous concerns, the land itself, and, more broadly, efforts toward decolonization?
TAG recognizes the importance of this territorial acknowledgement, both for creating vital space for reflection when read at the beginning of events and as a stimulus for action in our day-to-day existence. As a research centre that strongly believes in community outreach and solidarity, TAG encourages members to include Indigenous communities and Indigenous forms of practice in keeping with the university’s Indigenous Directions Action Plan.
We can do this most clearly by collaborating with the Indigenous Futures Cluster which includes Obx Labs, Initiative for Indigenous Futures (IIF), Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace (AbTeC), and Inuit Future in Arts Leadership. Examples of this include supporting and participating in relevant workshops run by our Indigenous colleagues and similarly inviting them into our space and activities. For all of us, establishing, building and maintaining relationships with Indigenous collaborators requires on-going commitment and care, and an awareness of the work we are asking of others.
TAG encourages everyone, in this moment, to take the time and reflect on how you are personally connected to this territory and how you can contribute to projects that support Indigenous self-determination.