We are all treaty people.
In the School of Music at Acadia, we acknowledge that we are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This land is governed by the treaties of Peace and Friendship, first signed by the Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqey, and the British Crown in 1726. These treaties did not implicate or affirm the surrender or transfer of land to the British, but recognized Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqey title and set the rules for what was to be a long-standing relationship between nations, initially preventing war and facilitating trade. We recognize that we are all treaty people and have responsibilities to each other and this land. We also recognize the 400+ year history of communities of African descent and the 50 African Nova Scotian communities throughout the region today.
As School of Music faculty, staff, and students, we are grateful to work and create art in Mi’kma’ki and are committed to the Calls to Action made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada concerning culture, art, and education. We are continually reassessing our progress toward meaningful change based on these principles of equity, truth, and reconciliation. Knowing that words are empty without action, we will be held accountable and remain in conversation with local communities and artists on how best to learn and grow going forward.
Learn More:
- Treaty Education Nova Scotia - “We Are All Treaty People”
- How to be a Treaty Person
- United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
- Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
- Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute
- Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia