Meaningful Land Acknowledgements in Corporate Practice

I was invited to attend a session on “Meaningful Land Acknowledgements in Corporate Practice” hosted by Envol Strategies and lead by Johnathon Strebly (former Chief of Staff, Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw, Squamish Nation).

My takeaways

Here are a couple points that stood to me out amongst all the notes I took during that session:

  • Land acknowledgement as a diplomatic gesture.
  • A map to find out who to acknowledge no matter where you’re engaging.
  • “No such thing as a wrong mistake”. Knowingly making the same mistake is wrong.
  • Doing one thing (even poorly) is moving forward.
  • Taking 20 seconds to acknowledge a territory is easy, subverting the power is hard.
  • You’ll never know it all. The day you think you know it all you know nothing.
  • Make mmmmistakes.
  • If you cringe, you’re learning more.
  • Saying it out loud matters, feel the words.
  • Spellings of the Nations should be first (Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw, Squamish Nation)
  • Words mean different things for different people.
  • Never interrupt an elder. Build it into your timelines. Make your meetings 4.5 hours. No one complains about an hour early finish.
  • Don’t ask someone to fix, ask to learn.
  • “At what cost?”. Easy to make a splash, hard to predict the ripples.
  • Don’t amend policies, ask why they’re not working.

Land Acknowledgement Examples

Initiating a dialogue to build better and more relevant land acknowledgements was something that gave a clear next step. Based on what I learned at the talk and with some feedback from others also doing this work, this is what I landed on (I’m sure it will change and evolve over time as I continue to learn more).

Website Acknowledgement

“We at FYBS respectfully recognize and honor the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples. These Nations have maintained a deep connection to the lands and waters of what is now known as Vancouver for countless generations.

We are dedicated to nurturing respect for the histories, cultures, and rights of Indigenous Peoples as we continue to live, work, and thrive on these shared territories.”

Event Acknowledgement

“As we gather today, I’d like to take a serious and meaningful moment to recognize the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. These communities have lived in connection with the lands, waters, and skies of this region for countless generations, long before it became known as Vancouver.

Taking this moment to acknowledge this place as their traditional and unceded territory is the least we can do and invites us to reflect on the privileges we enjoy and the responsibilities we hold. At FYBS, we are committed to learning from this history and taking concrete and measurable steps toward reconciliation.

This includes supporting Indigenous-led initiatives like the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. If not that, we encourage everyone here to explore how they, too, can contribute to fostering respectful relationships and meaningful change for a better future.”

Question time

I came to this event with a question that’s been bothering me for a while.

  • Q: What do land acknowledgements look like in 25 years?
    • A: They’re no longer needed

After getting that succint (and retroactively obvious) response, I realized I asked my question incorrectly. First, I admitted my mistake to my tablemates, tracked down the speaker after we wrapped, and re-asked my question in a different way.

I wanted to know “What is the next evolution of land acknowledgements?”, as I’m sure we’ve all heard them kick-off events we attend but they haven’t changed in the last umpteen years of events I’ve been attending.

The answer to that version of the question was “Starting a dialogue, invite the right people into the room.”. That was what I was looking for and helped and give me a new goal to push for in all the organizations I work with.

Recommended reading