Acknowledgement of Traditional Territory

political body was called Wabanaki Confederacy and included Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, and Abenaki tribes.

Figure 2: The seven districts of Mi’kma’ki (from Paul 2006 http://www.danielnpaul.com/Map-Mi'kmaqTerritory.html ).

Acknowledgement of Traditional Territory

Acadia University values, acknowledges, and respects the diversity among First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples and their distinct cultures, worldviews, and protocols, and recognizes them as traditional stewards of the land. At convocation, conferences, and other large public gatherings hosted by Acadia University, it is recommended that opening remarks include an official acknowledgement of the traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq.

For example, “We [I] would like to begin by acknowledging that we are in Mi’kma’ki , the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People”.

Further details could be provided such as “This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) and Mi’kmaq peoples first signed with the British Crown in 1725. The treaties did not deal with surrender of lands and resources but in fact recognized Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations”