My professional life at the University of Calgary is only made possible by the abundance of knowledge and teachings provided by the land and water of this place, now known as “Calgary.”
In the spirit of respect, reciprocity and truth, we honor and acknowledge Moh’kinsstis and the traditional Treaty 7 territory and oral practices of the Blackfoot confederacy: Siksika, Kainai, Piikani as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations. We acknowledge that this territory is home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis homeland.
As an educator and educational researcher, I acknowledge the past wrongdoings done through schooling on Indigenous communities and commit to reflect on Canada’s colonial histories and learn to act toward reconciliation with and the resurgence of Indigenous communities.
While symbolic gestures are important in affirming our commitment to facing the history of settler colonialism, we must move beyond mere symbolism and take concrete actions.
A list of collective actions I greatly appreciate and support: https://landback.org, https://legacyofhope.ca, https://www.themossbagproject.org.
I appreciate and learn from works written by Indigenous authors (some of my readings are listed on our Soil Camp website.
Miwa Aoki Takeuchi, PhD 