Land Acknowledgment

One Voice Chorus (OVC) acknowledges that the land where we work and live is within the home territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy, which includes the Siksika, Kainai, and the Piikani First Nations; the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Îyârhe Nakoda people, which includes the Bearspaw, Chiniki, and the Goodstoney First Nations. Calgary is the colonial name given to this place that has traditionally been known as Mohkinstsis (Blackfoot), Wincheesh-pah (Îyârhe Nakoda) or Guts’ist’s (Tsuut’ina).

Calgary is also home to the Métis Nations of Alberta, Region 3. and is within the historical Northwest Métis homeland. We are grateful to the First Nations, Métis and Inuit, who continue to act as land defenders and water protectors, as they have done for generations. We are grateful that this land has been repected and maintained, and we acknowledget that we are all in relationship to this land and responsible for its care.

We acknowledge that, as citizens living in Treaty 7, it is our responsibility to pursue a deeper understanding of this Treaty, so that we can respect and honour its terms.

We acknowldge that Indigenous peoples have been harmed in the colonization process that is ongoing, and that settlers within this country continue to benefit from this process. We call upon the Government of Canada to enact the recommendations set out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commision of Canada in 2015.

Acknowledging the truths of our shared history and colonialism’s impact is only a first step towards reconcilation. Alongside acknowledging Treaty 7, the territories, and the people it represents, we at OVC would also like to share some of the actions we can contribute to reconciliation.

committment Statement

OVC is committed to the following actions in support of reconciliation:

• OVC will support, by donation and advocacy, indigenous -led non-profit organizations

• OVC will pursue artistic collaborations with Indigenous performers and artists

• OVC will hire indigenous leaders, educations, and/or activits from our local community to futher our education

• OVC is also committed to upholding the calls to justince outlined by the National inquirey into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girsl (NIMMIWG)’s Final Report, released in 2019

• Specifically OVC will:

  • denounce and speak out against vilence against indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people within our printed, sung, or spoken concert messages.

  • listen to the truths shared in this final report, and acknowledget the burden of these human and indigenous rights violations, and the impact they ahve for Indigenous wome, girls, and 2SLBBTQIA+ people today.

  • and we will use what we learn and some of the resources suggested in this report to become stronger allies.

We thank you for reading our Land Acknowledgement and Committment Statement.

This statement, as it currently reads, has been developed by OVC members, in consultation with First Nations and Métis advisors. This Statment represents our current understanding of this land’s history, and our current understanding of how we can act as allies. This learning is ongoing and evolving, and therefore, we are also committed to evolving this statement over time. If you would liek to know more about our process or you have questions please contact us - we’d love to hear from you.