A land acknowledgement is a way of recognizing and expressing gratitude to the First Nations, Inuit, or Métis who reside on the land and honour the Indigenous people who have lived and worked on the land historically. Here at Unicorn Marketing Co, we are not experts in this area, and we source information from Indigenous organizations on a regular basis. As a team, we are always learning (AND UN-LEARNING), while trying our best to recognize and respect the Indigenous Peoples.
Why Your Business Should Have a Land Acknowledgement
The act of performing a land acknowledgement is a very basic and fundamental step towards reconciliation between Indigenous Peoples and settlers. However, they go much deeper than just acknowledging whose land you’re on. To truly understand the importance of a land acknowledgement, you need to look at the historical traumas that have plagued Indigenous peoples and what lasting effects they have today. To learn more about these historical traumas, read our blog Finding Truth and Reconciliation.
How to Create a Land Acknowledgement
Now that you know why it is important to have a land acknowledgement on your website, let’s look at how you can make it.
Step 1
Identify the Indigenous People in the territory. It’s possible that there is more than one Indigenous group belonging to an area, and in this case, you acknowledge them all. If you need help finding out this information, you can use this Land Map.
Step 2
Take some time to learn about those Indigenous People. Learn about their traumas, but also learn about their culture and traditional practices.
Step 3
Now it is time to write your land acknowledgement. By completing step 2, you should have a more natural and heartfelt acknowledgement than the simple “I would like to acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of the X peoples” that is commonly done. However, no matter how you perform a land acknowledgement, the most important part is the recognition and intention, so it is great that more people are incorporating it into their businesses.
Find out more information in this document: A guide to acknowledging First Peoples and traditional land by Engineers Canada Indigenous Advisory Committee.
Where to Incorporate a Land Acknowledgement
Land acknowledgements can be used in many different areas, and they are not just for events. Here are some suggestions:
Bio
Whether it is on social media or a personal bio on a website, you can include the traditional land that you are living on.
Website
In addition to having an acknowledgement as part of your bio, you can also include it on your website. It can be the header of your website or featured on your footer. You can also include it on your “About” page or your “Contact” page.
Workplace
Do you work in an office or a shop? You can take the opportunity to have the acknowledgement hanging up on a wall, by the door, on your desk, or in another space where you work.
Resources
A guide to acknowledging First Peoples and traditional land
A Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgement
The Importance of Land Acknowledgements
Thanks for Reading!
Here at Unicorn Marketing Co, we encourage you to look inwards, to educate yourself and others around you about the historical and current atrocities committed against Aboriginal peoples, and to hold strength against systemic racism that is embedded throughout our modern society. Read all about our blog Finding Truth and Reconciliation to learn more.
Connect with us on Instagram and check out our other blog posts.
