Land Acknowledgement
Minorities and Philosophy (MAP) McGill acknowledges that McGill University, and MAP, are located on the unceded territories of indigenous peoples. The Kanien’kehá:ka Nation is recognized as the custodians of the lands and waters on which the downtown campus of McGill is located and we acknowledge this land was not given up, signed away, or ceded to McGill University. Tiohtià:ke/Montréal is historically known as a gathering place for many First Nations. Today, it is home to a diverse population of Indigenous and racialized peoples. Today, McGill's community learns, works, and lives on this unceded territory. Making this acknowledgement does not exculpate us institutionally; rather, it intensifies the need to actively support Indigenous peoples in their struggles for decolonization.
The Kanien’kehà :ka Nation
McGill's downtown and Macdonald campuses are today situated on the traditional land of the Kanien’kehà:ka Nation. The Kanien'kehà:ka people, although a distinct and independent nation, are part of a larger Indigenous cultural group known as the Haudenosaunee Confederacy that encompasses territories in the continental north eastern Americas. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is often described as the one of the oldest participatory democracy on Earth, and is founded on the principle of Kariwiio, or good mind. For the Haudenosaunee, law, society and nature are equal partners and each plays an important role, resulting in a unique blend of law and values. Through the confederacy, each of the nations of the Haudenosaunee are united by a common goal to live in harmony.
The word Kanien'kehà:ka (pronounced gah-nyen-geh-hah-ga), translates from the Kanien'kéha language as "People of the Flint Nation."
The Kanien'kehà:ka nation's territories pre-date modern geo-political borders, and consists of land in what is now upstate New York and the St.Lawrence region of Canada. The traditional seat of government for the Kanien'kehà:ka peoples is the nation at Kahnawà:ke.
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For more information on the Haaudenosaunee Confederacy, please visit https://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/, and for information on the Kahnawà:ke, or the kanien'kehà:ka, visit
http://www.kahnawakelonghouse.com/ or or http://www.kahnawake.com/community/history.asp
The land of McGill University across the continent.
In addition to the above, McGill University also operates on traditional and unceded land of indigenous communities across the continent.
In Gatineau, Quebec, McGill University properties are installed upon the traditional territories of the Anishinabeg peoples.
The Gault Nature Reserve on Mt. Saint Hilaire, Quebec, is located on the lands of the Abenaki peoples.
McGill's Sub-Arctic Research Station in Schefferville, Quebec, is land that belongs to the Naskapi and Innu Peoples.
McGill's Arctic Research Station in Grise Fiord, Nunavut, is located on the lands of the Inuit people. The settlement was created in 1953 through the forced relocation of Indigenous families.
McGill's Tropical Bellaires Research Station, Barbados, is situated upon the territory of the Taino (Arawak) and Kalinago (Carib) peoples.
The above land acknowledgement was crafted in consultation with resources provided by Prof. Alia Al-Saji of McGill University, Concordia University's Indigenous Directions Leadership Group (2017), the Reconciliation Action Plan (2020) of Lester B. Pearson United World College, and McGill University's Indigenous Initiatives.