There are a few reasons why it's important to understand the significance of land acknowledgements.
First, Indigenous people have a long, sacred connection to the land — to Mother Earth — and when the land was stolen, it caused huge pain in both the Indigenous peoples and the land itself. The land, the waters, and everything in and on it has a connection to Indigenous peoples. For example, the trees are elders, mountains are ancestors, etc. Land acknowledgements are one step in acknowledging and addressing the ongoing genocide of Indigenous peoples through land theft.
Second, land acknowledgements are an opportunity for settlers to affirm and understand their own history and connection relative to the land on which they live and work — at the expense of Indigenous peoples. While current-day settlers may not have personally established the systems that have harmed and continue to harm Indigenous peoples, settlers continue to benefit from these systems, and so the work of settlers to decolonize themselves is important and necessary in the dismantling of these harmful systems.
The Capilano Students’ Union acknowledges that its work takes place on the stolen, traditional and ancestral territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), the səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) nations at the North Vancouver campus, as well as the shíshálh (Sechelt) nation at kálax-ay, the Sunshine Coast campus. We also acknowledge that the university operates on the lands of the Líl̓wat (Lil’wat) nation at the Ts’zil Learning Centre.
The Skwxwú7mesh nation is located in what is now known as the Greater Vancouver Area. Skwxwú7mesh peoples are included in the Coast Salish Indigenous group. The language spoken by this Nation is Skwxwú7mesh snichim. For more information on the Skwxwú7mesh nation, please visit their website.
The səl̓ilwətaɁɬ nation currently resides on the Burrard Inlet. Their traditional and unceded territory extends to, but is not limited to, areas of Squamish, Vancouver, and Coquitlam. The language spoken by this Nation is hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, which is a downriver dialect of Halkomelem. For more information on the səl̓ilwətaɁɬ Nation, please visit their website.
The xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Nation is traditionally located across the lower mainland of British Columbia. This includes but is not limited to Vancouver, the Burrard Inlet, New Westminster, Burnaby, and Richmond. The language spoken by this nation is hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, which is a downriver dialect of Halkomelem. Pronunciations of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm territories are available on their website. For more information on the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Nation, please visit their website.
The shíshálh Nation is located along the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia. Their territory extends from Queens Reach in Jervis Inlet to Howe Sound. The language spoken by this nation is she shashishalhem. For more information on the shíshálh Nation, please visit their website.
The Líl̓wat Nation is currently located near Mount Currie, British Columbia. Their territory extends to but is not limited to Rubble Creek, Gates Lake, Upper Stein Valley, and Toba Inlet. The language spoken by this nation is ucwalmícwts. For more information on the Líl̓wat Nation, please visit their website.
For a good start learning which Indigenous nations steward the land on which you are living and working, please refer to Native-Land.ca (you're probably on the lands of more than one nation). You can enter your address or a landmark to get a start started using virtual maps.
Once you know whose land you're living and working on, consider checking out the individual nations' websites to find out more information about them, as there's so much that may be learned. Educating yourself about the Nations is also another way to support Indigenous people.