Land Acknowledgement

We would like to acknowledge and honour the four nations on whose traditional land we gather: the Sinixt, the Ktunaxa, the Secwepmec and the Syilx.  

Pronounciation Guide:

Sinixt - sin-IKES-t

Ktunaxa - tah-NAH-ha

Secwepmec - shuh-KWEP-meh

Syilx - silks

Why do we acknowledge the nations on whose territory we live?  And how do we keep that acknowledgement meaningful, not just a quick note to rush through before we get to the "real" part of our gatherings?  When we acknowledge territory we recognize that in fact people did live here, that those peoples still have stories about this land and feel strong connections to this area. We resist making those first peoples invisible.  We are also making a gesture of reconciliation for past wrongs; this is not to shame people who are living here now, it is merely recognizing the historical fact that other people lost their homes, sometimes violently, and we now live where they once did.