Land Acknowledgement
Our Land Acknowledgement is a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories.
Land Acknowledgment
Elevate is situated upon the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples. Today, the city of Toronto, also known as Tkaronto (meaning “the place in the water where the trees are standing) is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit.
This territory is governed by The Dish with One Spoon Wampum treaty, an agreement to peaceably share and care for the land and its resources. Toronto is still home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples from across Turtle Island.
Living and working on this territory makes all people in Toronto Treaty people, including those who have come as settlers, or immigrants of this generation or generations past, as well as those who were brought forcibly as a result of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
Legacy of Colonialism and Reconciliation
We are mindful of broken covenants and acknowledge the cultural, economic, and psychological harm done to Indigenous communities by colonial practices, discriminatory policies, and institutions.
We understand that land acknowledgment is important, but only an initial step in the ongoing reconciliation process; advancing meaningful reconciliation must move beyond good intentions, superficial reforms, and symbolic gestures. Hence, we recognize our responsibility as an organization, and as individuals, in pushing for real accountability and transformative change, including implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Elevate is committed to addressing systemic injustice by working with Indigenous community partners, government, and the private sector to remove barriers to career advancement and support the growth of underrepresented talent in technology and innovation-based organizations, start-ups, and the creative industries. To find and reflect on your own location, visit Native Land.
We are committed to ongoing dialogue and taking action toward co-creating sustainable careers for underrepresented communities of this land.
To be meaningful and respectful, a territorial acknowledgment needs to be intentional. This is a time to give thanks, consider our individual and collective role in the stewardship of Mother Earth and in building relationships between Indigenous people and communities and the rest of the country.
- A land acknowledgment is something that a non-Indigenous person or visiting Indigenous person may do.
Indigenous people who originate from the land they are present on would not necessarily acknowledge territory by providing a land acknowledgment as it is their territory. If they are elsewhere in the country or in another country they will acknowledge the ancestral holders and owners of that land. It is a sign of respect to acknowledge the land you stand on and to acknowledge the people for welcoming you there or allowing you to be there.
- A welcome to territory is something an Indigenous person may do when on their home territory to welcome guests to the territory.
In some cases, this may be done on behalf of the respective nation and-or the leadership. For example, a Mohawk Clan Mother may welcome guests or people to the territory on behalf of the men, women, children, and leadership of the longhouse.
When should you acknowledge the traditional territory?
- Email signature
- Newsletters/communications
- Staff meetings and professional development sessions
- Websites
- Workshops/Conferences (both virtual and in-person)