LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
THE DIMENSIONS OF LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Historical
Espace LGBTQ+ operates in Québec, a territory that has been inhabited for millennia by 10 First Nations 🔗 and the Inuit Nation 🔗, whose ancestral rights 🔗 must be recognized.
First Nations
This term is used to define Indigenous groups or Nations across Québec, with the exception of the Métis and Inuit. 🔗 This distinction comes from the legal domain. The Canadian Constitution recognizes three Indigenous cultural groups: First Nations, Métis, and Inuit.
In the past, the term “Indian” was used to collectively refer to Indigenous peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. Although First Nations are no longer referred to this way today, the notion of “First Nation” is not legally equivalent to “Indian.” Many individuals who are members of First Nations are not recognized as such by the Canadian government and therefore cannot benefit from the rights and advantages granted to “registered” persons under the Indian Act. 🔗
“First Nations” is also not a synonym for “Indigenous peoples,” the latter including both Inuit and Métis.
The First Nations in Québec are:
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Anishinabeg Nation
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Atikamekw Nation
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Eeyou or Cree Nation
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Innu Nation
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Kanien’kehá:ka Nation
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Mi’gmaq or Micmac Nation
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Naskapi Nation
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W8banaki Nation
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Wendat Nation
Ancestral Rights
Across Canada, Indigenous peoples hold rights to the lands that their ancestors occupied and used before colonization or the formation of Canada. 🔗 Protected by the Constitution 🔗, these rights are at the centre of many current Indigenous land claims. It is preferable to speak of an “ancestral right” to a territory rather than an “ancestral territory,” which implies that the possession and occupation of the land by these communities belong to the past. 🔗
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Unceded Territories
A territory that has not been voluntarily given or sold by a Nation to colonizers through a treaty or other agreement. 🔗 Since no agreement exists between the parties, the land is occupied without permission. 🔗
This concept is closely linked to that of a “treaty.” However, a territory may be subject to a treaty without having been voluntarily ceded. 🔗 In such cases, the transfer of ownership is considered illegitimate.
The term “unceded” is a legal concept recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada, which specifies that Indigenous title over a territory remains valid as long as it has not been ceded or extinguished by the federal government. 🔗
Treaty
An agreement negotiated between two or more sovereign nations 🔗 that defines the use, rights, and obligations of the parties regarding territories or resources in a specific region. 🔗
In Canada, treaty agreements originate from the Royal Proclamation 🔗, which established the principles for an official negotiation process with Indigenous nations. It stipulates that Indigenous lands can only be ceded with the consent of a Nation in exchange for fair compensation 🔗. However, many territories were sold for a fraction of their worth 🔗, to the detriment of Indigenous communities.
Treaties in Québec:
After the formation of Confederation, a series of treaties was signed in quick succession between the Canadian government and Indigenous Nations. 🔗 These treaties were used by Canada to quickly acquire land rights for development. In total, 11 numbered treaties were signed. 🔗 None of them were concluded in Québec. Colonized more gradually, treaties were not used in this way to assert control over Québec territory. In the province, most territories legally remain unceded. 🔗
This does not preclude the existence of other agreements between the parties. 🔗 Many promises made to Indigenous Nations have not been fulfilled. In the absence of a treaty, Nations rely on land claims, asking the government to honour obligations that have not been met. 🔗
The James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement, signed in 1975, is the result of struggles by the Cree and Inuit to assert their unceded territorial rights, in response to the hydroelectric development project by the Québec government. The JBNQA is the closest example of a “first modern agreement” between Québec and Indigenous Nations. 🔗
Tio’tia:ke
Traditional name in the Kanien’kéha language given to the island of Montréal, meaning “where the boats and rivers meet”. 🔗 Using the Kanien’kéha name highlights the unique role of the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation as the current guardian of the territory. However, Tio’tia:ke is inhabited by a plurality of Indigenous peoples, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. 🔗
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Contemporary
We wish to express our recognition and respect to the Kanien’kehá:ka 🔗, the Keepers of the Eastern Door 🔗 of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy 🔗. This territory is now home to a diverse urban Indigenous community.
Kanien’kehá:ka
The Kanien’kehá:ka Nation, also known as the Mohawk Nation, is the current guardian of the Tio’tia:ke territory, including the communities of Kahnawà:ke and Kanehsatà:ke. In the Kanien’kéha language, it literally means “people of the flint”. 🔗
Keepers of the Eastern Door
It is mistakenly assumed that this title was bestowed by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy upon the Kanien’kehá:ka, who were located in the eastermost part of the territory and therefore had frequent contact with colonizers. However, the popularization of this term likely comes from Europeans. 🔗 We have nonetheless chosen to mention this term, as it is still used by Indigenous people and members of the Confederacy to refer to the Kanien’kehá:ka. This honours the role of guardians they played in the face of colonial invasion. 🔗
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Responsibility
We acknowledge that, both individually and systemically, we participate in and benefit from colonization and systemic racism, and that being in a posture of allyship requires concrete and deep work. In alignment with its mission and values, Espace LGBTQ+ takes its responsibility to act seriously and is committed to creating safe spaces that welcome, in particular, Two-Spirit 🔗, Indigiqueer 🔗 and Indigenous LGBTQIA+🔗 communities.
Two-Spirit
This term is used to describe Indigenous people who are born with both a feminine and a masculine spirit. Many Indigenous people use Two-Spirit to describe both their sexual orientation and their gender identity.
Bispirituality can also describe the social and spiritual role traditionally played by certain community members as mediators and ceremonial guardians. 🔗
It should be noted that Two-Spirit is often used as an umbrella term and includes several other, more specific terms. Care must be taken not to group all Indigenous LGBTQIA+ people under the label Two-Spirit
Indigiqueer
A more recent term used by some Indigenous LGBTQIA+ people who do not necessarily identify as Two-Spirit. It describes the experience of people at the intersection of being Indigenous and queer. 🔗
Indigenous LGBTQIA+
The term Indigenous LGBTQIA+ includes people who prefer to use a term specific to their identity, such as trans, intersex, etc. 🔗
These terms are not exhaustive and often overlap. We do not claim to encompass the full diversity of Indigenous people’s experiences, although we strive to do so as much as possible.
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