SHAYLEE BLENKIN • MEGAN DECAIRE • EMILY HAWKINS • JACQUELINE

LAMOUREUX • ALYSSA MIHAI

LAND
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
*Take students outside, if possible, for the land acknowledgement*

Our classroom respectfully acknowledges that we are located on

Treaty 7 territory. Before we got here, the land was taken care of by
the Siksika, Kainai, Piikanii, Stoney-Nakoda and Tsuu T'ina Nations, as
well as the Alberta Métis Nation, region three. These Nations helped
all other newcomers survive in this land, and they continue to help
us know how to take care (give yourself a hug) of the land today.
text

We are thankful for the wide plains (hold your arms out wide)
that provide food and shelter to many animals like bison and
horses. We also use this land for farming, so that we can eat. We
thank the land for providing the gifts of food.

We are thankful for running rivers (sway your body) that provide
fresh clean water to drink. We are very thankful, as we know that too
many people do not have clean drinking water. We admire the
strength (flex your muscles), purity and force of the river. We
appreciate the gift (place hands on heart and move away from
your body) of clean water.

We respect the majesty and beauty of the tall mountains (stand tall
creating a point with your arms) that watch over us, and remind
us of our place in the universe. We admire how they endure
throughout the ages, no matter the hardships. Just as the original
people of this land have endured and remained on the land despite
their hardships.

Now we can take a minute for anybody who would like to suggest
something we appreciate about the land and an action to go with it.

Possible actions:
Stand tall like a lodgepole pine (stand tall and straight with hands
at the side)
Fall like a waterfall (fall to the ground, gently)
Fly like an eagle (flap arms like wings)
Climb like a bear (hand action)
Jump like a deer
Swim like a salmon (hand action)
Fall like snow (hand action)
Stalk like a lynx (hand action)
Make an agreement like the treaties (shake hands)

We acknowledge all of the wonderful gifts provided to us by generous

Mother Earth. We give honor and respect to the original peoples of the
land: the Siksika, Kainai, Piikanii, Stoney-Nakoda and Tsuu T'ina nations,
and the Alberta Metis Nation, region three. These are the original
occupants and caretakers of the land, and they continue to thrive here
today despite attempts to remove them. We are inspired by their
connection to Mother Earth and all living beings, and by their strength
and endurance.
 RATIONALE
Our acknowledgment begins outside on the land instead of in the
classroom so that students can consider what it means to be
present on this land (CTL at UofA, 2021). As well, our land
acknowledgement is not about acknowledging whose land it
belongs to, but rather aligns with the Indigenous worldview that
no one owns the land, they’re simply caretakers of it for future
generations, and they are interconnected with the land and all the
beings who share it (Sheridan SOURCE, 2020). Additionally, our
land acknowledgement strives to honor the timeless and
enduring nature of the Indigenous peoples on our land as they
continue to live and thrive here (Native Governance Center, n.d.).
We created this acknowledgement with younger elementary
children (K-3) in mind, so we included actions to keep engagement
and to appeal to kinesthetic learning styles. This land
acknowledgement is also an example of place-based education,
since the acknowledgement is also intended to connect the
students to their natural and built environments (Webber,
McVittie, Miller & Hellsten, 2021). This acknowledgement does not
follow a specific script or template, which gives the individuals
involved in reading the acknowledgement the opportunity to
influence what is being discussed and make it more meaningful. In
addition, it’s important for us to acknowledge that land
acknowledgements that are written by non-Indigneous people will
look different than those created by Indigenous people (Native
Governance Center, n.d.). Furthermore, scripted
acknowledgements are not truly sincere and act as a performative
measure (Deerchild, 2019).

References
CTL at UofA. (2021, May 4). Territorial acknowledgements: Going
beyond the script [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=yXYhBml2c2I

Deerchild, R. (2019, January 18). 'I regret it': Hayden King on writing
Ryerson University's territorial acknowledgement. CBCnews. Retrieved
from https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4973371.

Native Governance Center. (n.d.). A guide to Indigenous land

acknowledgment. https://nativegov.org/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-
acknowledgment/

Sheridan SOURCE. (2020, April 23). Indigenous voices - Land

acknowledgement [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=_HtG7j19na4

Webber, G., McVittie, J., Miller, D., & Hellsten, L. (2021). The Terrain of
Place-Based Education: A Primer for Teacher Education in Canada.
Brock Education: A Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 30(1),
10–29.