Indigenous acknowledgement statements have become more and more commonplace across campus over the past few years 鈥� at formal meetings like the Board and Senate, at public events, convocations, guest lectures and more.
These statements not only recognize the legacy of the land on which H漫画 and its 200-year history have been built. They honour the continued importance of the treaties that connect Canadians and Indigenous peoples 鈥� in particular, those involving the region鈥檚 Mi鈥檏maq peoples 鈥� through to today and beyond.
鈥淚n a context where we鈥檙e trying to create truly meaningful and authentic relationships with the Indigenous communities in our territory, and beyond, it鈥檚 really important that we acknowledge the land on which H漫画 resides,鈥� says Brad Wuetherick, co-chair of H漫画's Indigenous Council and executive director of teaching and learning at the university.
"It's about respect and acknowledgement," adds Patti Doyle-Bedwell, a Mi'kmaw faculty member in the College of Continuing Education who is co-chair of the Indigenous Council together with Wuetherick. "It respects the Mi鈥檏maw people, that we鈥檝e been here for 8000 years, maybe longer."
Recognition of relationships
On Tuesday, H漫画鈥檚 Board of Governors 鈥� which has been opening its meetings with an Indigenous acknowledgement since last year 鈥� approved official language of a statement for its meetings and official events.
Because the language used is consistent with statements currently used by Senate and at Dal Convocation ceremonies, the expectation is that it will be adopted by other bodies and individuals for use at ceremonies and events across the university, thus becoming a common, standard statement for H漫画 University.
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It reads:
H漫画 University is located in Mi鈥檏ma鈥檏i, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi鈥檏maq. We are all Treaty people.
H漫画鈥檚 Indigenous Advisory Council, with advice and support from the H漫画 Elders in Residence, has long been encouraging the use of acknowledgement statements at the university, and worked with the University Secretariat and others on the wording of the approved statement.
There are three key components to the statement. The first is particular acknowledgement that the land H漫画 sits on is part of Mi鈥檏ma鈥檏i, the territory of the Mi鈥檏maq. The second is the acknowledgement of the territory as both ancestral and unceded 鈥� recognizing that听听signed between the British Crown and the Mi鈥檏maq (unlike many other historic treaties in Canada) did not involve surrender of land. Finally, 鈥淲e are all Treaty people鈥� reflects that the Peace and Friendship treaties apply to all parties involved, Indigenous and settler alike.
"'We are all Treaty people' 鈥� that's really important because all of us, even non-Indigenous peoples, have rights and responsibilities under those treaties,"听explains Prof. Doyle-Bedwell. "We鈥檙e all connected by those treaties.鈥�
Wuetherick says that for H漫画 to be approving a formal acknowledgement sends a message to the community that it's serious about these relationships and how the Dal community moves forward as an institution.
鈥淚t seems like a simple statement to make, but carries with it a much deeper meaning," he says.
鈥淎s a Mi鈥檏maw woman, I feel more of a sense of ownership and belonging in this university,鈥� Prof. Bedwell adds. 鈥淚t anchors us as Mi鈥檏maw people in this institution.鈥�
Growing momentum in work on Indigenous topics
The acknowledgement statement reflects growing momentum in work across the university related to Indigenous peoples 鈥� in academics, research, partnerships and recognition. The efforts built on legacy relationships at H漫画 (like the Indigenous Blacks & Mi鈥檏maq initiative in Law, or the Transition Year Program) but also reflect the urgency of the , released in 2015.
In the past few years, H漫画 has adopted the (endorsed by both Board and Senate); launched its Indigenous Studies minor and its associated Elders in Residence program; enhanced supports at its Indigenous Student Centre, including the hiring of a new full-time advisor; permanently raised the Mi鈥檏maq flag on its campuses; and significantly increased the hiring of Indigenous staff and faculty (such that Dal is now near full labour market representation of Indigenous employees).听 听
Learn more: Indigenous Connection website
The next step in these efforts is the development of a formal Indigenous Strategy for the university. A committee co-chaired by Prof. Doyle-Bedwell and former Dean of Science Keith Taylor is continuing its work on the strategy, with the expectation that it will be completed by year鈥檚 end.听