1 - Learn the Indigenous names for where you live and work
This series of blog posts is inspired by the list 21 Things You Can Do to Change the World created by Bob Joseph in his book 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act. Focusing on actionable steps, these blog posts will take each step and provide links, contacts, and suggestion lists.
View all of our 21 Thing posts here.
The first Action we chose to highlight is Learn the Indigenous names for where you live and work.
Coquitlam Heritage and Mackin House are located on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish People, specifically the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation, on whose land we work, live, and play.
Land acknowledgements honour Indigenous kinship to the land as those who have been here for millennia. In BC, 95% of land is unceded, meaning it was never legally ceded or signed away to the Canadian government, but was just taken and occupied by colonizers.
You know the colonial names of the cities in which you live and work. It is important to also know and remember that these areas had other names before these cities existed. Territory lines were not fixed and that there may be more than one name to learn and acknowledge.
Additionally, some places are changing from the name given to them by settlers and it is also important to use those in place of the colonial names they had before. For example, the Riverview lands in Coquitlam have recently been renamed səmiq̓wəʔelə (Suh-MEE-kwuh-EL-uh).
We have compiled some resources to help find out on which territories you live and work, plus how to pronounce them.
Here is a really great article from Indigenous Corporate Training Inc. on why you should learn to pronounce Indigenous names.
UBC has provided a concise guide to language guidelines.
Native Land – This map is a really great visual representation of how First Nation territories overlap. You can also search by treaties and by language.
British Columbia Assembly of First Nations Interactive Map – This map is simple and easy to navigate.
First Peoples’ Cultural Council – This map shows the areas where different Indigenous languages are spoken, as well as the traditional territories and cultural points of interest.
This is a map of places in Canada that have Indigenous names, as well as their language of origin and their meaning.
If you prefer a list to a map, this PDF lists every city in BC and on which territory they are found, as well as provides a pronunciation guide and lists the traditional languages spoken.
Decolonize Everything has a course on territorial acknowledgements that is very insightful and informative.
Want to make learning the traditional territories more fun? Turtle Island Puzzles made a 500 piece puzzle of First Peoples’ Traditional Territories in BC.
We hope these resources help!
These blog posts are designed to be a starting point to help people toward the path of reconciliation and allyship. We encourage everyone to do their own reading and research. Want to learn more? Check out the Indigenous Relations Academy, which has books, training, and resources. You can also purchase 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act here.