What Do I Mean When I Say "Acknowledgment"? 

Many years ago, my then-partner J and I visited Victoria, British Columbia, the traditional territory of the Lkwungen peoples. One evening, we drove along the coast to Sooke Harbour, the unceded territory of the T’Sou-ke Nation and of the neighbouring Pacheedaht and Scia’new Nations. We were headed to a particular restaurant J had read about in her pre-trip research. Just before reaching our destination, we pulled over to enjoy the harbor sunset, walking down a path that continued along the shoreline. An avid photographer, J ventured off the path in pursuit of just the right shot of the vista, the Herring Gulls, the blue silhouette of a mountain, the way the light skipped colorful stones across the surface of the water. She has an amazing eye. I hung back, enjoying the view, albeit somewhat uncomfortably—I was dressed for dinner at the restaurant, not an impromptu walk as the sun went down.

There is a phenomenon in LGBTQ+ culture known as “the nod” or “the lesbian nod.” When two lesbians or queer women who do not know each other make eye contact in passing, and one of them nods to recognize that they share an identity, this may be referred to as “the nod.” To be clear, this isn’t an up-and-down bobbing of the head; it’s more of an upward head tilt while maintaining eye contact. I knew about “the nod,” but I had not experienced it, perhaps because my gender presentation was deemed feminine or because I was shy and young. My partner had often experienced the nod, and she would sometimes tease me about how I had thus far been unable to achieve this right of passage.

As I waited for J, another couple—also women—walked by on the path. They were appropriately attired for the cooling evening and smiled at me sympathetically, correctly assessing that I was on my way to dinner with the entranced photographer. I was still standing there when this couple doubled back, and as we exchanged smiles again, one of them gave me the nod. A simple gesture, but I confess I felt instantly giddy at having been acknowledged. It changed how I perceived myself—a previously unnoticed veil fell away, and a vibrant silhouette came into focus. Some part of me became visible to myself in a different way.

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Land acknowledgments are an increasingly familiar form of acknowledgment, recognizing the theft of land from indigenous peoples, their history of stewarding the land, and their ongoing presence and culture. Acknowledgment plays a vital role in how many indigenous peoples relate to the land itself. Karyn Recollet, an urban Cree woman and associate professor at the University of Toronto, explains: "When we talk about the newness of territorial acknowledgments, these aren't new. Acknowledging relationships to space and place is an ancient Indigenous practice that flows into the future" (Shahzad, 2017). Slow Buffalo, an ancient teacher, demonstrated a profound understanding of place in these passed-down words:

Remember . . . the ones you are going to depend upon. Up in the heavens, the Mysterious One, that is your grandfather. In between the earth and the heavens, that is your father. This earth is your grandmother. The dirt is your grandmother. Whatever grows in the earth is your mother. It is just like a sucking baby on a mother. . . . 

Always remember, your grandmother is underneath your feet always. You are always on her, and your father is above. (Forbes, 2001)

Knowing the land in such familial terms rather than as property might understandably lead to a more intimate and invested sense of gratitude and stewardship.