Land Acknowledgement
We would like to acknowledge that we are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This territory is governed by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (WOOL-ah-sto-gway) people first signed with the British Crown in 1725.
These treaties did not implicate or affirm the surrender or transfer of land to the British, but recognized Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqey (WOOL-ah-sto-gway) title and set the rules for what was to be a long-standing relationship between nations, initially preventing war and facilitating trade.
Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense or in a historical context and acknowledging the land is only one small step towards reconciliation. Colonialism is a current, ongoing process, and its ongoing impacts have caused significant harm to the Mi'kmaq people and their lands. We must be dedicated to engaging in ongoing learning, unlearning, and critical reflection to challenge colonial narratives and support decolonial practices.
We also wish to recognize the more than 400-year history of communities of African descent here in Nova Scotia and the contributions of the members of the more than 50 African Nova Scotian communities throughout the region today.