Indigenous territorial acknowledgment is important as our churches strive for right relations with Indigenous Peoples. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released 94 calls to action as a way to heal and move forward from the past abuses of the Residential School System. The Anglican Church of Canada is committed to this process, as are the bishop and synod.
Citing TRC numbers 59 and 60 on education, graphics have been prepared and are encouraged to be used within the parishes' various means of communications (on bulletins and other parish paper communications, on bulletin boards and signs and on electronic media such as service projections, websites, Facebook). A verbal acknowledgement is also appropriate when people are gathered (ie. meetings, worship, other parish events).
Each parish corporation is responsible for identifying which territory/ies in which it resides. The land we know as New Brunswick is the historic home of three tribes: Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet), Mi’kmaq and Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy) Peoples.
To check on which bulletin insert is geographically relevant to your parish(es), click this link to a map https://native-land.ca/
This may be a wonderful opportunity to reach out and make contact with indigenous communities within your parish if this has not already happened. Making direct contact and learning more is encouraged as we endeavour to walk together in reconciliation.
We have prepared six different bulletin inserts which can be downloaded below. They reproduce well in black and white, and you can manipulate the size to suit your needs. If you need any help with this process, contact Gisele McKnight, diocesan communications officer: gmcknight@diofton.ca
We encourage you to learn more about territorial acknowledgement at these links: https://www.kairoscanada.org/territorial-acknowledgment
http://www.megaphonemagazine.com/unceded_territory
To read more about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, click here: https://www.anglican.ca/tr/
Finally, to learn more about the logo featured on the inserts, which is from the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples, click this link. https://www.anglican.ca/about/ccc/acip/logo/
DOWNLOAD GRAPHICS BELOW
- Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet), Mi’kmaq and Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy) Peoples
- Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) and Mi’kmaq Peoples
- Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) and Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy) Peoples
- Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) Peoples
- Mi’kmaq Peoples
- Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy) Peoples
Wording as provided by the NB Aboriginal Peoples Council:
Today, we acknowledge the unceded and unsurrendered Wolastoqey/Mi'kmaq/Peskotomuhkati territory we currently stand on and wish to thank them for allowing us to gather.
To recognize the land is an expression of our gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory we are on, and a way of honouring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. It is important to understand the long-standing history that has brought us to reside on the land, and to seek to understand our place within that history. Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past historical tense: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation. It is also worth noting that acknowledging the land is Indigenous protocol.