Walking Together - Indigenous Reconciliation Education
“For the Love of the Creator’s Land and People” - New Diocesan Land Acknowledgement
The Archdiocese of St. Boniface is happy to present its new Diocesan Land Acknowledgement, titled “Shaawiintan Manitou akii tako opimaatisii”, which means “For the Love of the Creator’s Land and People” in Anishinaabeg. The land acknowledgement has been crafted with the assistance of the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba, and has wonderful artwork by Roslyn Boucha, a Anishinaabe / German Settler artist of the Animakee Wa Zhing FIrst Nation. This artwork was originally commission during the 2022-23 school year by the Manitoba Catholic Schools.
This is Roslyn’s description of the artwork:
“This illustration is my love letter to the land just as I believe a land acknowledgement should be; an act of reciprocity and a commitment to care for the land just as the land cares for us. Referencing the woodland art style, I included flora and fauna from across Turtle Island that has been integral to Indigenous groups since time immemorial, as well as cultural references to First Nations, Inuit, and our Metis relatives. The overall shape of the design references water as our life giver, flowing from the bottom of the page through to the infinity symbol and Creator’s eye at the centre of the star blanket.
I chose not to include human shapes in this piece. Not because we are not an integral part of this system, but because we are included as the viewer, within the words, and within the shapes and stories throughout the image. A gentle reminder that we are not separate from the land. We are the land and this story is about us.”
To download the Land Acknowledgement, please click here.
