Land acknowledgements—healing or hurtful?

I give a lot of medical presentations at conferences across the country, more recently virtual. A land acknowledgement slide has become a staple, if not mandatory for presentations. Land acknowledgement statements aren’t just used at conferences, but are a feature of arts and sporting events. And I’m seeing them more and more on email signatures of individuals representing organizations. That’s a good thing . . . right? A recent CBC article about land acknowledgements by reporter Kanhehsiio Deer really got me thinking. She states, “In an era of reconciliation, they're political statements meant to recognize First Nations, Inuit, and Métis territory, however many Indigenous people argue they've grown to become superficial, performative— and problematic.” I’ve lifted quotations from experts she spoke with throughout this piece. Are land acknowledgements a positive step forward for truth and reconciliation or just trendy lip service? I would like to acknowledge the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which includes the Blackfoot Confederacy, comprising the Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai First Nations, the Tsuut’ina First Nation, the Stoney Nakoda First Nations, including the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Wesley First Nations. The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III. Educators on land acknowledgements tell us that every word should be accurate, critically appraised and in the present tense. I easily confess that I have NOT done any personal research in this regard, so far I’ve trusted the municipal office of the City of Calgary, where I live, and the University of Calgary to develop a well written and accurate statement. This is what I have incorporated and I don’t deviate from the script. I always try to speak to the importance of this statement in the context of my presentation. If this is a sexual health or transgender health talk, I do recognize the tradition of acceptance of gender and sexual diversity within our Indigenous peoples long before colonization. If I use clinical cases or narrative medical principles in my talk, I reference the rich oral tradition of storytelling to transfer knowledge. But am I right in doing this? Am I doing this whole topic justice or am I just another “white guy standing on a soap box” perpetuating a feigned interest. Read: Self-reflection and learning: resources for healthcare professionals marking the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Hayden King, executive director of the Yellowhead Institute, a First Nations-led research centre based at Ryerson University, encourages people make sure their work and engagement with Indigenous communities meaningful. "There's a . . . sort of historical untangling that's required to do this right, well and in a genuine way.” I am supposed to “untangle” centuries of disinformation and misappropriated history? Suddenly a simple land acknowledgement slide has become a very complicated process which may be well beyond my scope as an individual. As a physician trying to give a presentation, am I fully out of my league? Devon Saulis, a member of the Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick who lives in Ottawa says, "You can have the nicest, most beautiful and most respectful land acknowledgment of all time but if you have no actions to back up your words, then why are you bothering?" Well . . . I’m really not sure now. Do I accept the difficulty of this acknowledgement and keep trying to do it justice or do I confess my ignorance and inability to deliver this acknowledgement in an authentic way? I want to honour this process but now that I appreciate how complicated it has become, is it time to take a step back and rethink this whole subject? What if I don’t do a land acknowledgement? What if this was stated as a purposeful action? If I stated that I am not competent to stand behind a land acknowledgment then what am I really saying? Truth and reconciliation can’t just be empty words. Until I’m serious about actively doing something, perhaps it’s better to not say anything at all. For Claudette Commanda, an Algonquin elder from Kitigan Zibi, Quebec, the issue boils down to the concept of land back. "If you're going to explicitly say in your land acknowledgment that you want better relations, then you have to prove and you have to show consistency and that you're actually doing those actions." So… what am I prepared to do? Kahsennoktha George from Kanesatake in Quebec wants to see companies and institutions participating in systemic change. "A starting point would be to initiate some kind of sustainable relationship with the people that you're going to be acknowledging. The problem is that there are people, groups, institutions and systems that are benefiting from the continued land dispossession of Indigenous peoples while making territorial acknowledgments." Am I personally benefiting from dispossessed land? I really don’t know. Do I use or inadvertently endorse companies that have a “bad track record” when it comes to Indigenous land rights? Am I merely complicit if I plead ignorance ? How far am I prepared to go to research this and not remain a passive observer? Even with a simple land acknowledgement statement, there seems to be many more questions than answers. I’ve seen video presentations used instead of spoken text with narration and First Nations elders highlighted. Is this better? More authentic? I would be very interested in other physicians / medical professionals’ opinions on this subject area. Should gatherings medical and otherwise continue to use these acknowledgements? Are you personally using a land acknowledgement in your clinic meetings/presentations and are you comfortable with continuing? Dr. Ted Jablonski is a singer-songwriter, emerging playwright and neophyte poet who has recently retired his family practice to focus on sexual medicine and transgender health in Southern Alberta. He now finds himself back on the front line trenches leading the charge against the COVID pandemic.

Land acknowledgements—healing or hurtful?

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