The Board of Trustees starts every public Board meeting with a verbal acknowledgement of the land and its first people. CBE schools and service units are acknowledging the land where we gather at minimum at the beginning and end of each school year and during significant celebrations, such as graduation.
Through intentional work around the Acknowledgement of the Land, we are able to engage in critical reflection and create personal connections to this important work in many meaningful ways and opportunities.
Elders have taught us it's important to acknowledge the land where we gather and the First Peoples who traditionally lived here. It shows respect for people, their contributions and their ways of being, belonging, doing, and knowing, which are reflected through the stories and songs that have lived on this land for thousands of years. We are making this acknowledgment to demonstrate our commitment to work together as a community in laying the foundation for reconciliation through education.
We would like to acknowledge the traditional territories and oral practices of the Blackfoot Nations, which includes the Siksika, the Piikani and the Kainai. We also acknowledge the Tsuut’ina and Stoney Nakoda First Nations, the Métis Nation, and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.
Pronunciation
Elders have provided pronunciation examples of each of the Nations:
- Siksika (Seeg-see-gah)
- Piikani (Bee-gah-nee)
- Kainai (Guy-nah)
- Tsuut’ina (Soot—tenna)
- Nakoda (Na-ko-da)
