Do you know whose land you are on? A FACL BC Resource List

What is a land acknowledgment? A land acknowledgment is a statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of their land and their traditional territories. (A guide to Indigenous land acknowledgment from the Native Governance Center; Northwestern University).

Why do we recognize their land? We recognize their land as an expression of gratitude and appreciation for the land we reside on. This is a way to honour Indigenous Peoples who have been living and working on the land since time immemorial. (A guide to Indigenous land acknowledgment from the Native Governance Center; Northwestern University).

The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society’s Advocacy Committee has compiled this resource list to invite our members to learn about the land we live and work on as legal professionals, the history of Indigenous peoples here, and the relationships between Asian and Indigenous communities on this land.

1) History of Indigenous peoples in BC

• Territory map from Whose-Land.ca

• Territory map from Native-Land.ca

2) Relationship between Asian-Canadians and Indigenous Peoples

• Challenging Racist “British Columbia”: 150 Years and Counting produced by the UVIC History project “Asian Canadians on Vancouver Island: Race, Indigeneity and the Transpacific” and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (BC Office)

• Touring BC’s ‘Hidden’ History Shared by Chinese and Indigenous People by Meg Mittelstedt for the Tyee (13 October 2014)

• A Tour Of The Deep Relationship Between B.C. Chinese Immigrants, First Nations by Suzanne Ma from the Huffington Post (23 September 2012)

• Stay tuned! The book, The Power of Place, the Problem of Time: Aboriginal Identity and Historical Consciousness in the Cauldron of Colonialism, will be available this year as the first translated English-to-Chinese (Mandarin) book on Indigenous history and the impacts of colonialism

• This Mural Tells a Beautiful Tale of Cultural Solidarity. But Did It Really Happen? by Christopher Cheung from the Tyee (23 February 2021)

3) How to pronounce original names of landmarks - City of Vancouver website

• šxʷƛ̓exən Xwtl’a7shn (formerly known as Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza)

• šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square (formerly Vancouver Art Gallery north plaza)

• • More information about šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square 

4) Purpose of Land Acknowledgement

• Land Reparations and Indigenous Solidarity Toolkit from Resource Generation

• Reflections on Indigenous Land Acknowledgements on National Indigenous Peoples Day by Candace Brunette-Debassige 

• Territory Acknowledgement from Native-Land.ca

• Why Acknowledge? from WhoseLand.ca

• 'I regret it': Hayden King on writing Ryerson University's territorial acknowledgement by Hayden King, Director of Yellowhead Institute

• Land Acknowledgements from the University of Saskatchewan  

• How to Become a Great Ally

5) Videos/Media

• This Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2019 Panel by the Native Governance Center features Indigenous panelists Kate Beane, Mary Lyons, Rose Whipple, Rhiana Yazzie, and Cantemaza (Neil) McKay engaging in a discussion about Indigenous land acknowledgements

6) Show Support

• Support Indigenous access to justice, specifically related to environmental and Aboriginal law, by donating to Raven Trust

• Refer to the Indigenous Ally Toolkit to learn what it means to be an ally and how to engage in the continual process of anti-oppression work