"As Long as the Grass Grows, and the Sun Walks"

We all have a shared history of Land Acknowledgements. Settler Canadians are familiar with their use, but they may not understand their meaning. This essay stems from a collective frustration with improper Land Acknowledgments, and how they now produce more harm than good. This essay asks, what do...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Caroline Ryan-York
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Alberta Library 2025-01-01
Series:Spectrum
Online Access:https://spectrumjournal.ca/index.php/spectrum/article/view/242
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841563019597840384
author Caroline Ryan-York
author_facet Caroline Ryan-York
author_sort Caroline Ryan-York
collection DOAJ
description We all have a shared history of Land Acknowledgements. Settler Canadians are familiar with their use, but they may not understand their meaning. This essay stems from a collective frustration with improper Land Acknowledgments, and how they now produce more harm than good. This essay asks, what do Land Acknowledgements within Treaty 6 achieve in terms of reconciliation for Indigenous peoples? By looking at specific acknowledgements from organizations in Edmonton, I argue that these institutional acknowledgements are not rooted in reconciliation, but rather they are based upon false allyship with Indigenous Peoples. These rather script-like texts teach us that Land Acknowledgements have been re-imagined in a colonial view. By promoting settler discomfort within Land Acknowledgements, Canadians can begin to educate themselves on the basis of land and what the words within these acknowledgements mean for Indigenous reconciliation.
format Article
id doaj-art-b913ba167a734eada06c3a62ccf29b0c
institution Kabale University
issn 2561-7842
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher University of Alberta Library
record_format Article
series Spectrum
spelling doaj-art-b913ba167a734eada06c3a62ccf29b0c2025-01-03T00:28:52ZengUniversity of Alberta LibrarySpectrum2561-78422025-01-011410.29173/spectrum242"As Long as the Grass Grows, and the Sun Walks"Caroline Ryan-York0Faculty of Native Studies and Faculty of Education, University of Alberta We all have a shared history of Land Acknowledgements. Settler Canadians are familiar with their use, but they may not understand their meaning. This essay stems from a collective frustration with improper Land Acknowledgments, and how they now produce more harm than good. This essay asks, what do Land Acknowledgements within Treaty 6 achieve in terms of reconciliation for Indigenous peoples? By looking at specific acknowledgements from organizations in Edmonton, I argue that these institutional acknowledgements are not rooted in reconciliation, but rather they are based upon false allyship with Indigenous Peoples. These rather script-like texts teach us that Land Acknowledgements have been re-imagined in a colonial view. By promoting settler discomfort within Land Acknowledgements, Canadians can begin to educate themselves on the basis of land and what the words within these acknowledgements mean for Indigenous reconciliation. https://spectrumjournal.ca/index.php/spectrum/article/view/242
spellingShingle Caroline Ryan-York
"As Long as the Grass Grows, and the Sun Walks"
Spectrum
title "As Long as the Grass Grows, and the Sun Walks"
title_full "As Long as the Grass Grows, and the Sun Walks"
title_fullStr "As Long as the Grass Grows, and the Sun Walks"
title_full_unstemmed "As Long as the Grass Grows, and the Sun Walks"
title_short "As Long as the Grass Grows, and the Sun Walks"
title_sort as long as the grass grows and the sun walks
url https://spectrumjournal.ca/index.php/spectrum/article/view/242
work_keys_str_mv AT carolineryanyork aslongasthegrassgrowsandthesunwalks