Why Do We Acknowledge The Land?

Acknowledging the land is an Indigenous protocol used to express gratitude to those who reside here, and to honour the Indigenous people who have lived and worked on this land historically and presently. It allows us the opportunity to appreciate the unique role and relationship that each of us has with the land, and provides a gentle reminder of the broader perspectives that expand our understanding to encompass the long-standing, rich history of the land, and our privileged role in residing here.

To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory you reside on, and a way of honouring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. It is important to understand the long-standing history that has brought you to reside on the land, and to seek to understand your place within that history. Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation. It is also worth noting that acknowledging the land is Indigenous protocol. (taken from: http://www.lspirg.org/knowtheland/)

Finding Order in Disorder collaborates with community arts engagement, educational institues, and advocacy organizations across Canada on traditional unceded territories and waters of many Nations, including the Kanien’kehá: ka Nation; the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, and the Métis Nation (Region 3); the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples; and Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Wendat and many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

Ancestral Acknowledgement

We are currently on the land of Indigenous communities who have been stewards of these lands since time immemorial and who continue to be systematically erased by policies and practices that remove their histories from this place.

We also acknowledge board and staff members of African descent whose ancestors were forcibly displaced as part of the transatlantic slave trade, brought against their will, and made to work on these lands. We believe that advancing Indigenous sovereignty and Black liberation are deeply and inextricably linked to one another and we remain committed to advancing both.
(Inspirit Foundation as cited in Foundation for Black Communities)

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We would also like to acknowledge those who migrated from South Asia to Turtle Island, this land we call Canada today. We would like to acknowledge all of our ancestors who left their homes or were forced to leave due to socio-political unrest. The South Asian diaspora is vast and diverse, and we recognize this diversity and acknowledge the differences in lived experiences due to migration histories and other intersecting axes of power and privilege.
(South Asian Health Research Hub.)

A Global Commmunity

Finding Order in Disorder would like to acknowledge that we have collaborated Globally with Individuals and Organizations based in India, United States, Germany, Spain, Canada and beyond. We want to reflect on the perpetual social injustices on marginalized and vulnerable communities that unfold on a global scale of racism, genocide, ableism, sanism, gender based violence, intimate partner violence, transphobia, homophobhia and other systemic and systematic issues deeply embedded within our family relations and socio-political systems, As we refelct on this statement, we aim to address these inequities through:

Creation | Collaboration | Community | Catharsis