Territorial Acknowledgement

Author Acknowledgement

This OER was written on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Katzie, Kwantlen, Matsqui, and Semiahmoo First Nations. I offer this acknowledgement with deep respect and humility, recognizing that these lands have been home to Indigenous peoples since time immemorial, and continue to carry their stories, stewardship, and strength.

In writing about inclusion and belonging, I am reminded that these are not new concepts—they are deeply rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and relating. Yet in university and workplace environments, Indigenous voices are too often underrepresented, misunderstood, or burdened with unfair expectations. While I was on this journey to uncover Untold Stories, Indigenous students and faculty shared with me their lived experience such as being asked to carry the weight of representation, to speak on behalf of entire nations, and to relive personal and collective trauma in spaces that too often treat their truths as academic abstractions.

Their stories speak to the harm of cultural appropriation, the casual use of racial slurs, and the persistence of stereotypes that isolate and diminish. They also speak to resilience, wisdom, and the urgent need to center Indigenous voices—not as a gesture of inclusion, but as a necessary step toward truth, respect, and reconciliation.

This acknowledgement is not a conclusion—it is a beginning. It is a commitment to listen deeply, to challenge colonial attitudes wherever they appear, and to honour the sovereignty and dignity of Indigenous peoples in every space we inhabit, including the pages of this OER.

– Lindsay Wood

Publisher Acknowledgement

This book was published by Kwantlen Polytechnic University, whose campuses are located on the unceded traditional and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), qic̓əy (Katzie), SEMYOME (Semiahmoo), scə̓waθən (Tsawwassen), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), and the lands of the qw̓ɑ:nƛ̓ə̓n̓ (Kwantlen) First Nation, which gifted its name to this university. Resources from the lands in their territories were used in the publication of this book.

We share the information, knowledge, research results, etc. under this open license as a way of practicing reciprocity: giving back a portion of what we took in a way that we hope will have a positive impact on Indigenous students, KPU, and the wider Indigenous and non-Indigenous community. As part of our commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action [PDF], we recognize our responsibility to address and reduce ongoing systemic colonialism, oppression, and racism that Indigenous Peoples continue to experience.