Cultural and Land Acknowledgement Resources

Our mission is to promote, educate and support the recreational paddling community, paddling instructors, and partners.

Under our commitment to fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within the Canadian paddling community, we respectfully acknowledge and honour the Indigenous origins of paddle sports in Canada. We are committed to learning and embedding principles of Truth and Reconciliation into our practices. This enduring commitment to reconciliation and EDI reflects our vision for a united, inclusive paddling community.

To continue to educate and support all recreational paddlers, we are sharing some resources and learnings with regards to land and territorial acknowledgements.

Paddle Canada’s Acknowledgement of the Cultural Foundations of Paddling

While considering an acknowledgement from our organization as a whole, we found it challenging to write a land acknowledgement, so we chose to honour the origins of our craft:

Paddle Canada is a community of trusted leaders, inspiring connections between Canadians and nature through paddling. The bond that ties us together—the paddle and the craft it propels, including canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards—are not ours to claim.

We acknowledge and respect the cultural traditions of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples on whose lands and waters we live, learn, play, and earn.

We stand as allies to the original stewards of this land we now call Canada and respectfully acknowledge how we came to be here and the responsibilities that come with that privilege.

What is a land acknowledgement?

A territorial or land acknowledgement is a gesture of reconciliation that involves making a statement that recognizes the traditional land of and the Indigenous people who have lived in a particular territory. It is a small step a non-Indigenous person can take on a path towards reconciliation, is a sign of respect and recognition for Indigenous people and is a way to share awareness of Indigenous presence and land rights

What makes a good land acknowledgement?

A meaningful territorial acknowledgement must be intentional. For a Paddle Canada event or course, it can be an opportunity to express gratitude for the waters and lands that sustain paddle sports, to reflect on our shared responsibility as stewards of Mother Earth, and to recognize the deep and enduring relationships Indigenous Peoples have with these places. While land acknowledgements have become standard practice, they should remain thoughtful, current, and personalized—reflecting our individual and collective connection to the land, waterways, and Indigenous communities with whom we share them.

Consider writing your own acknowledgement rather than using a “canned” version crafted from a local institution (for example, a university):

• Make it intentional; what is the purpose and why are you doing one?
• Do your homework to acquaint yourself with whose Ancestral territory you are acknowledging.
• Evaluate how this acknowledgement is connected to the event or course that you are offering

Resources

Whose Land: A web-based app that uses GIS technology to assist users in identifying Indigenous Nations, territories, and Indigenous communities across Canada.

Native Land Digital is an Indigenous-led non-profit organization that provides a digital map of Indigenous territories, languages, and treaties globally.

How to do a land acknowledgement Trent University

Want to help? There are so many excellent resources available to continue our collective learning on our path to Truth and Reconciliation. If you have some you wish to share, please reach out!

Contact:
michelle@paddlecanada.com
1-888-252-6292 ext 2