52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing

Week 6: Write a Land Acknowledgement
from Robertson, David A. 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing

You have likely heard a land acknowledgement before. They are now part of many gatherings, from school assemblies to conferences to sporting events. Robertson sees this as important progress, but he invites us to pause and consider how we are engaging with these words. When an acknowledgement is simply read from a script or copied and pasted from a template, it can become routine. The risk is that something meant to foster awareness and respect turns into another box we check without much thought.

Instead, Robertson encourages us to write our own land acknowledgements. Doing so asks us to slow down and learn whose land we are on. Are we on treaty land or unceded territory? Which treaty applies, and what were the promises within it? Taking time to explore these questions helps transform an acknowledgement from a statement we recite into a relationship we begin to understand.

At its core, this work is about relationships. A meaningful acknowledgement names the original caretakers of the land while also recognizing the Indigenous peoples who are still present in the community today. From there comes the question of reciprocity. If the land has provided for us, what are we prepared to give in return? Caring for the land and honouring these relationships is not only an Indigenous concern. It is a shared responsibility.

Robertson offers practical ways to deepen this connection. Consider building partnerships with local Indigenous communities or creating opportunities to learn from knowledge keepers. Even small acts can foster understanding. He shares the example of a program where students in the city exchanged letters with students living on reserve. Simple, yet powerful, because relationships grew through listening and learning.

He also invites us to think about our relationship with the land itself. Some acknowledgements name the gifts the land provides and commit to caring for it in return. Others incorporate a word from a local Indigenous language, such as the Cree word for thank you, ekosani, as a sign of respect and willingness to learn.

When we approach land acknowledgements with intention, they become more than words spoken at the beginning of a gathering. They become a way of grounding ourselves in gratitude, responsibility, and relationship, helping us move forward together in a good way.

If you were to write a land acknowledgement in your own words, what might it reveal about your connection to this place, and how could it shape the way you live on and care for the land?

Want to read last weeks post, you can do so here.