Workshop teaches the value and importance behind land acknowledgments

In the past macabre says they struggled with figuring out the importance of land acknowledgments but that changed when they started learning more about them. Photo: Lauryn Mackenzie / CHLY 101.7fm

With their job at the Nanaimo Art Gallery bailey macabre has to write a lot of land acknowledgements. 

Along with being a Cree and Metis artist, macabre is the Indigenous engagement coordinator for the gallery, and will be hosting a land acknowledgement workshop this week.

A land acknowledgment is a way for groups or individuals to recognize the Indigenous peoples and the traditional territory they have gathered on. macabre got the idea for this workshop about a month and a half ago after they had gotten the feedback that an Elder in the community referred to the land acknowledgement they had written as one of the best ones they had ever heard. 

“Then I started to think about the importance of them, and why we do them, and I think a lot of people tend to have these scripts that they just read and don't have much intention into what they're saying,” macabre said.  

What was going to be a writing workshop turned into a complete land acknowledgement workshop when macabre realized how much history and cultural context they would have to include to teach people about the topic.

“So when I was initially thinking about what I typically say in the land acknowledgement, I was like, ‘that is assuming a lot for people to know the difference between like, why we would say ancestral, or traditional, or, you know, treaty territory or something like that,’” macabre said.

At first macabre thought about the workshop being for non-profits or other businesses that do land acknowledgments but then thought it should be open for anyone who wants to learn about it. They explained that just because someone hears or says a land acknowledgment doesn't mean they fully understand what they are hearing or saying.

“I have to admit, like, even as an indigenous person, the first time I ever heard one, I was at Kwantlen [Polytechnic] University, and my friend was defending their thesis. It happened and I kind of was like, ‘oh, what's what's happening? Why is that happening?’ And then I started to understand and value them,” macabre said. “I think it's something that happens pretty frequently, and sometimes even just a regular person witnessing them, you might not know why it's happening, or why they're important.”

macabre said the workshop will have discussions on intergenerational trauma and residential schools as well as colonization in Canada.

“I think a lot of the time, we kind of hear these stories, and we attach it to what people had to go through that,” macabre said. “But, I'm trying to humanize it.”

Then macabre said they will break down terminology and look at why people do land acknowledgments. As well they will look at some of the critiques of land acknowledgments. 

“For every great land acknowledgement, I've probably heard about 40 bad ones, and I think sometimes we have these scripts that we rely on a lot, and we don't think about where they come from,” macabre said.

Then the group will practice writing and doing their own land acknowledgments.

When asked what macabre says about people saying land acknowledgments are a performative act, they said sometimes the act can be performative.

“I think sometimes they come across as performative when you can tell that an organization is not being intentional in their relationships with Indigenous people, but still trying to do the right thing. That's when it becomes pretty performative,” macabre said. “Or honestly, if you're just reading names off a piece of paper, or if you haven't learned how to like, pronounce things properly. Just little things like that, where I'm like there's no point in even doing that.”

In the past macabre said they struggled with figuring out the importance of land acknowledgments and was hypercritical of them, but then they being educated about it.

“I also see a lot of people who are using them in a way to educate and honour and engage with people in a way that has them asking questions and has people wondering like, ‘Oh, should I learn more about that? Or should I look into this more? Do I actually know about the host nation as much as I think I do,’” macabre said. “It is honestly a quite small act, but being able to do the small act in a way that says you are dedicated to a larger practice, I think is a really important first step.”

As a visitor to Snuneymuxw, macabre sees the importance of recognizing the lands they are on. 

“I am an indigenous person, my ancestral homelands are in Duck Lake and Saskatchewan. So being an uninvited guest on the host nation's territory, it's been really important for me to engage in a way that is respectful and understanding,” macabre said. “I think having that kind of lived experience as an indigenous person, while also being an uninvited guest on the territory has just kind of made me want to share that insight in a way with where people can connect with it a little easier.”

macabre said they hope people will walk away from the workshop with the knowledge to dig deeper into land acknowledgements and truly understand the land they are recognizing.

“ I would like people to take away from it is that they feel well equipped to start creating land acknowledgments from a place of genuine integrity and wanting to do the right thing and being well informed and kind of questioning the act of it,” macabre said.

They also said they hope businesses and groups that come to the workshop reflect on the land acknowledgement they already are doing.

“[I hope they realize] organizations maybe shouldn't just have one land acknowledgement that they share at every single event, and maybe it's something that they engage in more regularly,” macabre said. “It's something that can change and shift as time passes. It's something that you can come back to and maybe treat a little bit more like a living act as opposed to a script.”

The Nanaimo Art Gallery’s land acknowledgement workshop is tomorrow February 23rd starting at 10 a.m. at the gallery. The workshop is $20 and can be purchased on the gallery’s website.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.