Why do a Territorial Acknowledgement?

By providing information on the original occupants of the land, a territorial acknowledgement is a way of educating settlers on the Indigenous ways of life that were disrupted by colonialism. Ideally, the acknowledgement would aid in the understanding that the violent destruction of Indigenous ways of life is the foundation of Canadian society.

Sometimes people don’t know the details of this history and their lack of knowledge can contribute to ongoing racism. Ultimately, a territorial acknowledgement is a tool to bring about a change in mindset. In this way, settlers may come to realize that the land that provides them with wealth was taken from an Indigenous Nation.

While the taking of this land has removed a source of wealth from an Indigenous community, it has other far-reaching social, cultural, and spiritual impacts. In the case of W̱SÁNEĆ, the set of obligations and responsibilities given to W̱SÁNEĆ people by XÁLS (Creator) to care for the land and all life – a perspective that is not embedded in western property systems – is now unable to be enacted. Parents and teachers are not able to provide on-land education to W̱SÁNEĆ youth. And, as a result of dispossession, the diets and health of W̱SÁNEĆ people have changed drastically.

How to do a Territorial Acknowledgement?

Below, you will find an overview of elements that could be included in a territorial acknowledgement. Ideally, each settler will do their own research to ensure the acknowledgement is informed by an authentic effort to understand, respect, contribute to and advocate for the local Nations.

First, find out what Indigenous territory you’re in. This handy up-to-date search tool is useful but is not always 100% correct: www.native-land.ca. Make sure to do some extra research to confirm what you find. For additional information about W̱SÁNEĆ territory, please have a look at the Saanich Indian Territorial Declaration  and our place names map located below.

To thoughtfully prepare an in-depth acknowledgement requires time and care. You may find it helpful to reflect on and research questions such as:

• Why is this acknowledgement happening?
• How does this acknowledgement relate to the event or work you are doing?
• What is the history of this territory? What are the impacts of colonialism here?
• What is the name and history of the specific place within the territory?
• What is your relationship to this territory? How did you come to be here?
• What intentions do you have to disrupt and dismantle colonialism beyond this territorial acknowledgement?

Learn to Pronounce a Nation’s Name Correctly

In the residential school system, Indigenous children would often be punished if they spoke their own language. As a result, many survivors of residential schools did not teach their children their language. In this way, many languages have been lost and others are on the brink of extinction. 

The erasure of Indigenous languages is the erasure of Indigenous cultures and worldview. Indigenous language imparts a worldview that is vastly different from that of colonial settler culture. 

For example, the notion of sovereignty, a common concept underpinning Canadian law, is a largely European construct, and in many ways is in direct contrast with what the Coast Salish believe. 

YELḰÁTŦE (Rob Clifford) a W̱SÁNEĆ PhD law student explains, “Sovereignty tends to be actualized as supreme authority over nature, or power without limitation for instance. Whereas for us, we have a responsibility to care for the Islands because they aren’t separate from us. In our creation story, they are our ancestors or ‘Relatives of the Deep’.” WSÁNEĆ Laws outline the rights of others, and our responsibility to our relatives, limiting our power over nature.

How to find out the correct pronunciation of a nation’s name:

• Check the nation’s website, they may have a pronunciation guide on their “About” page, an audio recording of their name, or videos that include people saying the nation’s name;
• Call the Nation after hours and listen to their answering machine recording; or,
• Search the internet for other territorial acknowledgements that may be captured on audio or video.

To listen to the correct pronunciation of W̱SÁNEĆ click here

To listen to the correct pronunciation of SENĆOŦEN, the language of the W̱SÁNEĆ people click here