A conversation with high school students about Land Acknowledgements, organized by BCcampus.
An article by Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang that reminds readers what is disconcerting about colonization, and decolonization is not a metaphor for general improvement in our society and lives.
Guide to Acknowledging First Peoples & Traditional Territory
Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) list their recommendations in this guide for writing effective and respectful territorial acknowledgements.
A GUIDE TO INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
A guide on writing land acknowledgements by Native Governance Center.
Wahéhshon Shiann Whitebean's comprehensive resource that describes territorial Acknowledgements, their history, and how to write one.
A guide on how to acknowledge Indigenous territories at public events and meetings from Amnesty International.
"WE WILL TALK OF NOTHING ELSE": DAKOTA INTERPRETATIONS OF THE TREATY OF 1837 by 
From Treaty Peoples to Treaty Nation: A Road Map for All Canadians by 
Canadian University Acknowledgment of Indigenous Lands, Treaties, and Peoples by 
On being here to stay: treaties and Aboriginal rights in Canada by A land acknowledgment is a formal declaration recognizing the original indigenous people of the land, which is made at the start of public events. The practice of land acknowledgments is a centuries-old tradition in many indigenous cultures.
In the article What Do Land Acknowledgements Really Mean?, Jenessa Joy Klukas talks about the importance of land acknowledgements and their significance, while drawing on their historic origins. An excerpt from the article is as follows:
"Land acknowledgements are a practice used in some Indigenous cultures to recognize other nations’ homelands. They’ve been adapted to fit a mainstream purpose.
They have risen in popularity since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action came out in 2015. While the calls to action don’t directly address the need for land acknowledgements, they’ve become common as a show of support and as a decolonizing action in the wake of the TRC.
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls also found that responsibility, accountability and acknowledgement are important and necessary to promote further change in Canada.
The City of Vancouver first recognized that Vancouver was on unceded lands via land acknowledgement in 2014. Similarly, the City of Toronto began implementing land acknowledgements in 2014; the language was most recently updated in 2019, after discussion with their Aboriginal Advisory Committee."
The following excerpt related to Aboriginal title is taken from Indigenous Foundations:
Aboriginal title refers to the inherent Aboriginal right to land or a territory. The Canadian legal system recognizes Aboriginal title as a sui generis, or unique collective right to the use of and jurisdiction over a group’s ancestral territories. This right is not granted from an external source but is a result of Aboriginal peoples’ own occupation of and relationship with their home territories as well as their ongoing social structures and political and legal systems. As such, Aboriginal title and rights are separate from rights afforded to non-Aboriginal Canadian citizens under Canadian common law.
Aboriginal peoples across what is now known as North America have maintained a strong connection to the land since time immemorial. Although there is vast cultural variation between First Nations, most groups maintained similar beliefs and principles that governed their relationship with and responsibility to the land. Most First Nations did not believe that pieces of land could or should be owned by individuals—humans, along with all other living beings, belonged to the land. The land provided for humans, and in turn, humans bore a responsibility to respect and care for it. Many Aboriginal peoples understand this as a reciprocal relationship with the land. European settlers arriving in North America brought with them concepts of private property ownership, and the notion that humans could, and should, own land as a step towards “civilization.”
In 1763 the British Crown issued The Royal Proclamation, a document that recognized Aboriginal title during European settlement of what is now Canada. The Proclamation states that ownership over North America is issued to King George III, but that Aboriginal title exists and can only be extinguished by treaty with the Crown. The Proclamation further specifies that Aboriginal land can only be sold or ceded to the Crown, and not directly to settlers.
Here, you will find a list of resources that describe treaties, their history, their impact, and the legislations covering them. These resources also function as a starting point in your exploration and research.
Online text of the Jay Treaty (November 19, 1794) between the United States and Great Britain, which states that Canadian born Native Americans can travel freely across the U.S./Canadian border
Section 35 recognizes and affirms Aboriginal treaty rights in Canada.
Contains information on Section 35 of the Constitution Act.
A collection of resources about treaties, the Indian Act, land rights, natural resources, and others.
A resource related to treaty making. This includes Historic Treaties (the Douglas Treaties), the Nisga’a Treaty, and the BC treaty process.
An article by Gretchen Albers, which is a part of a larger collection that contains information related to land claims.
Describes how treaties are interpreted by members of the First Nations, historians, and members of legal systems.
The thesis by Lorna June McCue's is now available through UBC Open Collections.
Treaties and treaty processes were already in place long before Europeans arrived. An example of this is the Great Act of Peace, which was signed by five different nations.
A brief history of the following: Treaties of Peace and Neutrality (1701-1760), Peace and Friendship Treaties (1725-1779), Upper Canada Land Surrenders and the Williams Treaties (1781-1862/1923), Robinson Treaties and Douglas Treaties (1850-1854), The Numbered Treaties (1871-1921).
Treaty transcripts from mid 1700's to the early 1900's.
Justin Trudeau's Indigenous Rights, Recognition and Implementation Framework. The framework was published on February 14, 2018.
A Government of Canada initiative to end racism, discrimination and violence against Indigenous communities in Canada.
ISC works in partnership with partners to enhance access to quality services for Indigenous people, Inuit people, Métis people and others.
Contains records related to the treaties in Canada.
