“I would like to acknowledge that PAN, as a provincial organization, gratefully and respectfully works and partners with BC’s 198 First and Métis Nations.”
Within the past couple of months, PAN staff decided to add the territorial acknowledgement above to our email signatures. Although it may seem like a small thing, deciding on how and why we wanted to honour the Indigenous land and people around us was complex. As National Aboriginal Day approaches, we reflect on this process and why it was important to us.
Why we did it
First and most simply, it seemed like the consistent thing to do. PAN works in collaboration with Indigenous individuals and groups in many of our programs and regardless of with whom we are working, we do our best to always act in culturally safe, appropriate, and respectful ways. We acknowledge the unceded territories on which we live and work at all of our in-person gatherings. At each of our annual conferences we include an opening blessing by an Indigenous elder, and last year’s conference concluded with a smudging ceremony – definitely a highlight of the event! With email being a key tool in how we communicate, it was only sensible to acknowledge these territories in emails as well.
Second, PAN recognizes the Truth and Reconciliation process as a crucial component of ending health inequities and advancing social justice in BC and beyond. We are acutely aware that rates of HIV, HCV, and other blood-borne infections are disproportionately high in Indigenous populations, as are morbidity rates for Indigenous people already living with HIV. Social and economic inequality only exacerbate these conditions, as Indigenous peoples continue to endure challenges around safe housing, clean water, food security, and other basic human rights. These violations are the direct result of colonization.
PAN actively works to help deconstruct colonial systems and institutions by collaborating with and inviting to the table Indigenous folks and others whose voices have historically been left out of important discussions on health and wellness. Acknowledging our country’s ugly colonial past (and sometimes questionable present) via the recognition of traditional lands is an important step in de-colonization, as it brings awareness of land as a key ingredient for health, and legitimizes Indigenous ways of knowing that challenge prevailing colonial belief systems.
Third, while the formal, national Truth and Reconciliation process is vital, we feel that localized efforts at truth and reconciliation will make tangible and meaningful impacts in the communities PAN serves. These days we often talk about “micro-aggressions” and how these small acts of oppression, while seemingly insignificant individually, can add up to atrocities over time. In opposition, we engage in micro-alliances or micro-supports that over time can add up to a healthy, equitable society. We feel that language plays a big part in this, and are constantly refining the language we use to reflect our desire to work peacefully and in collaboration with Indigenous communities. Our territorial acknowledgement is one of these acts, not as mere “lip service” but as part of a much larger effort toward reconciliation.
How we did it
Given that staff at PAN are geographically scattered throughout the province, we originally thought to craft our signatures according to where we each live. However, it soon became clear how complicated that could be. For one thing, certain staff members live on territories traditionally used by multiple Indigenous groups and we worried about unintentionally omitting or misrepresenting those communities and histories. Additionally, all staff regularly travel to different regions for their work. So while we may live our personal lives in one spot, we inhabit multiple areas and collaborate with multiple groups in our professional lives. We finally crafted a very inclusive statement, guided by the territory acknowledgements of organizations we respect, and getting specific input from an Indigenous colleague at the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network.
June 21 is National Aboriginal Day. PAN honours the First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities with whom we strive toward a brighter future for everyone. We thank them for being open to allying with us in this work.