The District of Sooke is now opening regular and committee of the whole council meetings by acknowledging and recognizing meetings are held on the traditional land of the First Nations.

Up until now, Sooke was one of a handful of Island communities that did not acknowledge First Nations before government meetings. Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay, Esquimalt and Colwood are among Greater Victoria governments that do.

The Sooke change was initiated by Mayor Maja Tait, who said for years the district has recognized First Nations at special ceremonies but never at council meetings.

B次元官网网址淚t seems like something long overdue that we should be acknowledging their territory and their government,B次元官网网址� Tait said.

B次元官网网址淚 have no fair argument to say why I wasnB次元官网网址檛 doing it at every council meeting.B次元官网网址�

Acknowledging territory is part of a longstanding protocol on Vancouver Island. It is a formal historic practice that has continued among Indigenous communities for hundreds of year.

And it also makes formal acknowledgement of the need for reconciliation. It is a statement that recognizes the traditional territory of the Indigenous people who called the land home before the arrival of settlers, said Laurie Meijer Drees, chair of First Nations Studies at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo.

B次元官网网址淩ecognizing the land and the communities informs people of the colonial history of our region, specifically, that treaty processes/land surrenders have not yet taken place,B次元官网网址� said Meijer Drees.

B次元官网网址淭he land is what hosts us all, it is a precious resource that holds all our lives. Acknowledging where we are is good for our souls and it keeps us humble and grateful.B次元官网网址�

Meijer Drees added that acknowledging the land or territory in formal government meetings is a sign of understanding Canadian society to be made up of multiple nations and settler communities.

B次元官网网址淚t is thus good diplomacy to acknowledge nation-to-nation conversations,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址� with files from Black Press

B次元官网网址⑩赌⑩赌�

A partial list of Island municipalities that acknowledge First Nations territories before council meetings: Ucluelet, Tofino, Port Alberni, Parksville, Ladysmith, Nanaimo, North Cowichan, Colwood, Victoria, Esquimalt, Oak Bay, and Saanich.

editor@sookenewsmirror.com
Like us on and follow us on