Land Acknowledgement

It is becoming more common for couples to include a land acknowledgement at the beginning of their wedding ceremony to show respect for local Indigenous peoples. We suggest couples take the time to find out about the people who have lived and are living in the area their ceremony is taking place. Educating yourself and being responsible for your own knowledge is the first step to engaging respectfully.

A good place to start is https://native-land.ca/resources/territory-acknowledgement/

Then look to see if local Indigenous people have a website to further your knowledge.

A land acknowledgment may feel uncomfortable -- it should feel a bit uncomfortable, but that’s okay. This is a step toward recognizing and addressing an often difficult and one-sided relationship between settlers and Indigenous populations – both historically and in the present day. You are asking your guests to be aware of the various First Nations, Metis, and/or Inuit peoples in the area and hopefully to think about their own role in the ongoing system of colonialism.

A land acknowledgment can be a nice gesture of respect, but it should be more than that. It should spark further curiosity, questioning, and action.

Here are some sample land acknowledgements:

Squamish: We humbly acknowledge we here in Squamish, BC are on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples including the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) First Nations. We respect the land and honour this tradition of land acknowledgment that dates back centuries for Indigenous people. We commit to learning more so that we are able to act as good neighbours on these lands.

Toronto: We acknowledge the land we are gathered on is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit. Our acknowledgement of the land is our declaration of our collective responsibility to this place and its peoples’ histories, rights, and presence. We add our voices to the call for Truth and Reconciliation, to hold colonial forces to account, and to seek redress and healing for injustice.