Kwantlen Polytechnic University serves a region south of the Fraser River which overlaps with the unceded traditional and ancestral lands of the Kwantlen, Musqueam, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen, Qayqayt and Kwikwetlem Peoples – the stewards and caretakers of these lands, waters, and skies since time immemorial.

As Squamish First Nation’s Ta7talíya Michelle Nahanee notes in her workshop on Territorial Acknowledgements, Territorial Acknowledgements or Territorial Honourings reflect work done in a good way. This practice is a push-back against colonial erasure of Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island (North America) (Nahanee, 2021). Territorial Honourings encourage us to pause and reflect on settler colonial history, while simultaneously raising awareness of Indigenous land rights, treaties, and title.

For more information on Territorial Acknowledgements or to help identify a traditional territory, please visit Native Land.