OVERVIEW
What Did 2021 Ask of Us?
We acknowledge that the land we gather on, Mohkínsstsisi, is the ancestral territory of the Siksikaitsitapi — the Blackfoot people — comprising the Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani Nations, as well as Treaty 7 signatories, the Tsuut’ina Nation, and the Îyâxe Nakoda Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Wesley First Nations. This land is also the home of Métis Nation Region 3.
We acknowledge that there has been art, music, dance, storytelling, and ceremony on this land since time immemorial and it is in the spirit of this land and its people that we do our work.
Acknowledging the traditional territories on which we gather has become a customary practice at Calgary Arts Development and an important step in our reconciliation journey.
More than just words to memorize and recite, the land acknowledgement is a way to remember and honour the Original Peoples of this land — people who have been here for millennia.
In this spirit, we created a musical land acknowledgement to begin the 2019 Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions, featuring Olivia Tailfeathers and the Grassland Singers, visual artist Mandy Stobo, and Calgary Arts Development President & CEO Patti Pon.
We believe that finding a personal connection is essential and we strive to communicate that personal meaning every time. Adding music and visual arts to the land acknowledgement at that Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions was a way to connect the meaning of our work to this land and the peoples who have lived here since time immemorial.