In this recording, Zoe Lee is interviewing Cathy Richardson as part of an article for The Tribune titled: To All My Relations: A critical examination of land acknowledgements and relationality. Cathy recognizes that land acknowledgements are part of a larger process of cultural change that resists settler amnesia and upholds truth-telling. They are, however, but a first step to reconciliation and must be accompanied by a commitment to healing and fostering right relations through action. Zoe also underlines the value of making one’s acknowledgement personal to their relations. Without this, land acknowledgements risk being performative and absolve non-Indigenous people of accountability and their connection to all living-beings. Cathy also shares insight on the history of land acknowledgements as protocol and a sign of respect across nations. Referencing rituals of gratitude such as the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, land acknowledgements should not only recognize the traditional territories but the Earth and the ecosystems that hold us. True land acknowledgements account for what has been done to the land and people, and assert what must be done to heal and move forward in right relation. They are not just a formality, they represent a responsibility.
See the full article here: https://www.thetribune.ca/to-all-my-relations/
