I asked this question to Candice Cook, who is the Indigenous Student Services Coordinator at RRU, and with her permission, I'm sharing her recommendation below:
My suggestions for students looking to include a land acknowledgement in their writing would be very similar to the general principles for verbal acknowledgements. Mainly I would suggest students deeply consider the purpose of the land acknowledgement, why are we making it, who is our audience and how does it align with what we are doing/sharing in our written works. In the context of a written paper, this may include acknowledging the land on which the knowledge shared in the paper was formed. It may also include acknowledging the land and stating how the paper may impact the land and the peoples who call that land home. (C. Cook, personal communication, August 9, 2021)
For more information on creating a land acknowledgement that recognizes the Traditional lands of the Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) and Lekwungen (Songhees) ancestors and families where Royal Roads University is located, please visit Land Acknowledgment & Welcome. For information on providing a land or territorial acknowledgement, as well as sample acknowledgement statements for the Traditional lands where universities and colleges can be found across Canada, please visit Guide to Acknowledging First Peoples & Traditional Territory.
