Land Acknowledgment is a process of decolonization

Before you read any further on understand the content is triggering not only for you but imagine for myself. The lesson each time I’m triggered by my own content for me is to debrief in a safe & supportive environment. I know this process, yet the anxiety of it makes me forget. I realize I must debrief. Life is too short not to debrief about such emotional constructs. Understanding that this process is a form of self-love, self-compassion for oneself, 

What is land acknowledgement?

·      We shared the land with all our relatives as we were part of this ecosystem in Alberta, and we were not colonizers, yet.  As in human history, all humans who were once conquered like the Romans who conquered England who in turn, England became the greatest colonizers in this century. We as indigenous peoples of the Treaty Seven Territories did not feel the sting of systematic racism until two hundred years after our eastern indigenous brothers and sisters in Ontario and Quebec. This is why in western Canada; we as indigenous peoples call on our ancestors as a form of educating others as to what it means to be stewards of the land called southern Alberta. We continue to practice our oral history using our indigenous land acknowledgement as a form of story telling to educate those who came into our territories to make this land their home.

·      We as indigenous people grew up from our biological mother the earth. As she provides everything that we need to share with our relatives. We were raised to believe that everything has a spirit and everything around us has a purpose and a spirit to guide us forward until we are called to take our journey home into the Great Mystery Creator created for us all.

·      We as indigenous people feel accepted, we feel a connection with our people. An example of these connections, I use what happened to me yesterday a artist friend died in Toronto after a short illness. His mother told me sixteen days ago her son was dying. Yesterday she asked me to inform as many people as possible he knew in Calgary of his passing. I felt accepted, humbled, and honored to fulfill this wish from his mother and his community. When we honor our ancestor’s, as my friend transitioned from that of having a human experience into becoming one of our ancestors, we do this knowing these ceremonies and ritual for him will take on a life of its own.

·      We honor our ancestors by acknowledging treaty 7 territories by continuing our oral history through these land acknowledgements.

·      Treaty #7 was signed in 1877 between the crown and the Blackfoot Confederacy (Si ha sa pa), Stoney Nakota (Ho he) and the Tsuutina First Nation. Treaty Seven included the Blood Tribe Kainai (Guy-neye), Piikani (Bee-gun-nee) and Siksika (Sig-sig-ga) First Nation. The Blackfoot language is a member of the Algonquian language family. The Stoney Nakota Tribes (E-a-hay) includes the Wesley, Bearspaw and Chiniki (Chin-i-kee) First Nations. Nakota is a member of the Siouan language family. Tsuutina (Soot-tin-a) is a member of the dene language family.

·      I also acknowledge the Metis Nation of Alberta. I also recognize those who live, work, and play in Treaty Seven as we are all Treaty Seven People.

My name is Marina Ann Crane, Hapan Kinyewakan, Winona Kinyewakan, PowwowKazawee, the way my parents and grandparents named first five as follows: Caske, my older brother who was first born boy, Hapan, is me, second born,  a third child, Hapstin, is my sister, a fourth child, Catan is my brother, and finally Wihake, my sister a fifth born. After the fifth child parents name their children the way they wish as the sixth was born in the Spring, the seventh was born in the fall, and the last was born on New Years Day named after a dead relative. My late mother’s maiden name, Kinyewakan, meaning “Flying Holy” & my dad’s mom’s name Dowan, meaning “To sing.” My pronoun is a Hapan raised with responsible of my birth order. My matriarchal lineage takes me from the land of Oceti Sakowin, camps of the seven council fires: Dakota, Nakota, Lakota.  Seven of my eight great grandparents come from one of these lineages apart from the eighth coming from the Cree of northern Alberta.

1.    Sisithunwan, (Dakota) Dwellers among the old fish bones,

2.    Ihankthunwan, (Dakota) Dwellers at the end of the camp circle,

3.    Wahpethunwan, (Dakota) Dwellers among the leaves,

4.    Mdewakantonwan, (Dakota) Dwellers at Spirit Lake,

5.    Wahpekhute, (Dakota) those who shoot among the leaves,

6.    Ihankthunwan, (Nakota) Younger Dwellers at the end of the camp circle, Bear’s paw, Chinkiki, Wesley tribes belong to the group,

7.     Titonwan, (Lakota)Dwellers on the prairie; Oglala, mnikhowozu, oohenunpa, Sichangu, sihasapa, hunkpapa,

I was born on the Oak River Indian Reserve now called Sioux Valley Dakota First Nation during a minus forty below winter storm. I was home birthed by two of my Dakota grandmother. My grandfather’s mother, Emma Campbell, an English colonial name was from Mankato, Minnesota. All her siblings, under the age of five fledge into Canada when her and her family of five escaped from the largest mass execution in USA history. My mother’s mom’s family name was Wasicuna, meaning “Whiteman.” My lineage comes from the Sioux tribes that escaped and were exiled into Canada. My ethnicity is 93% indigenous to North America, (4% Germanic, 2% Norway, 1% France, 1% Northwestern Europe) My Status Card claims me as being enrolled as a voting Nation member of the Tsuu Tina First Nation’s community of Treaty Seven. The colonial construct policies meant to divide indigenous peoples did their job well. Having spoke fluent Dakota Sioux until I went to Day School, I lost my ability to speak Dakota; I was raised listening to various languages of the Treaty Seven area.

As a child, growing up in Tsuutina (Sarcee), I grew up around horses, snaring rabbits and eating off the land. I rode bareback on horses, sometimes with a saddle when my step-grandfather, the late David Crowchild, allowed me to ride his quarter horse. It didn’t really occur to me just how much riding experience I had until, after talking to my Dakota relative during the Calgary Stampede, telling stories around rodeos. I just assumed every Dakota rode horses. I grew up around cowboys as my late father and uncles all rodeoed. Apparently, I was wrong. I grew up seeing most of my friends compete in barrel racing and I drove my friends to rodeos with a horse trailer in tow. It is a part of my life that seems so long ago. I fluently played basketball into my thirties. I loved bicycle riding and would ride a hundred miles a week. It seems like another lifetime ago. Imagine this lifestyle is so far removed from where I am today.

Paradoxically, as I started to heal from intergenerational trauma, white supremacy based colonial governments deemed inherent rights, two spirited, 2SLGBTQ+, murdered and missing indigenous girls, indigenous women as invisible (non-human beings rather animalistic). We are at the bottom of the Canadian socioeconomic ladder. Historical gendered based violence, land theft, mass incarceration, racial injustice with the health system and in the police forces. The crisis of mental health for indigenous peoples is triggering to an already vulnerable population.  Indigenous, black, and racialized peoples continue to advocate for an attempt to work within these systems. We as indigenous people of the Treaty Seven Territories are babies compared to experiences of our eastern brothers and sisters, as well as black and racialized peoples.

Systemic racism meant to harm me and my community before my birth.  The gender violence towards indigenous girls and indigenous women was declared in Ottawa as a National Crisis, in 2023. My blog, started in 2011, “Buyer be aware, the world is smaller now” is a documentation of this violence towards indigenous girls and women, as taught to me through my own family experiences and my own lived experience. I thank you, who hold space for myself and my ancestors’ stories. In open public forums, such as this, I acknowledge that the roles of my parents, grandparents and all my ancestors. Encouraging reconciliation for all sides as its vital in peace keeping.

As violence disrupted our way of life throughout our history, so it continues, as an imposed reconciliation takes place without a safe and supportive environment. If we do not fight and heal from white supremacy more innocent people will die, not from riots but from mental health related issues. Such as we as indigenous people in the Treaty 7 territories are experiencing this summer with an epidemic of our youth dying from drug overdoses. So where do we start and how does its finish is based on educating ourselves about anti-racism and equity and indigenous history of Canada. Understanding the new terminology of our indigenous youth is important for they are the ones for are our most vulnerable. As there is a serge too or call it a renaissance of young indigenous artists from all indigenous tribes emerging all over the world who have found tools to heal. We must hear these voices if we as the race of human beings are to survive this climate change. 

·      Wopida Mitakuye Oyasin (Thank you! We are all related)