Territory Acknowledgment
With deep gratitude and respect, I feel honored to learn and unlearn on the ancestral, unceded, and unsurrendered lands, which have existed since time immemorial, belonging to the ancestors of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam: huh-MUH-quee-um), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish: Skuh-HO-o-meesh) səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh: SLAY-wa-tuh-th) and the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm Nations (Kwikwetlem: kwee-kwuh-tlum). I want to express my gratitude to these nations who continue to protect and nurture these lands, the waters, and all the creations from above and below. My relationship with the territory has shaped who I am, my sense of belonging, and my feeling of nurturing the natural environment around me. I recollect the times I have walked on the Stanley Park seawall, the waters and sandy beaches that call to me. The parks and forests are so close to my backyard, where I've spent most of my childhood outdoors and playing with sticks and stones where my imaginations would run wild and free. As a settler,...