National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Hey everyone,

September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which gives the public an opportunity to recognize and honour the Indigenous individuals who were affected by residential schools and the families affected by inter-generational harm today.

On behalf of this day of honouring and remembering the Indigenous communities, I’ve decided to write my own personal land acknowledgement. As many of you may already know, land acknowledgements are written and spoken to remind us that we are living on Indigenous territories (specifically Treaty 6 territory for The King’s University).

Personal land acknowledgements can include your background or where you came from and what living on Indigenous land means for you. Writing our own acknowledgements can help us to be more meaningfully aware and historically honest about the Indigenous land that we are residing on.

Here is mine:

I would like to acknowledge that I live and study on Treaty 6 territory, the homeland of the Cree, Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Metis, Dene and Nakota Sioux. I come from South Korea, and now reside on this sacred land with respect and gratitude towards its ancestors. As a citizen of this place, I recognize the responsibility we have in growing our connection to Treaty 6 land and in strengthening our relationships with one another. As a student, I would like to invite you all to join the journey of learning how to make this space welcoming for all.

To learn more about land acknowledgements and how to create your own, a Land Acknowledgement workshop will be held by Student Life leaders, Brigid Elliott and Kyla Van Werkhoven, on October 1st at 2:00 p.m. (room is yet to be determined).

All the best,

Minji