I live and work as an uninvited settler on unceded, ancestral territories. These lands have been, and still are, home to diverse Indigenous Nations since time immemorial and continue to be places of culture, governance, language, and community today. 

In the region where I live and work, this includes the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking (Halkomelem) peoples, including the qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen), q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), and sc̓əwaθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen) Nations, as well as the SEMYOME (Semiahmoo) Nation. 

I also acknowledge the Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations, whose territories include the lands and waters of the city also known as Vancouver and surrounding regions where I live, work, and collaborate. 

The lands on which I live and work were never ceded through treaty and Indigenous peoples continue to steward these territories today. I offer this land acknowledgement with respect and an awareness that acknowledging land is only one small step toward understanding the histories, rights, and ongoing presence of the Nations whose territories sustain the communities in which I live and work. Health systems have, in the past and in present day, inflicted great harms to Indigenous Peoples. In the spirit of reconciliation, I endeavour to have my work help to undo colonial knots of systemic anti-Indigeous racism and I am grateful to the lessons and guidance from Indigenous knowledge keepers about how to turn my intentions into actions into change.

You may notice that Indigenous place names and Nation names appear here using spellings that may differ from those used in other sources. Many Coast Salish languages, including the dialects of Halkomelem such as hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, were historically transmitted orally for thousands of years. Written forms have been developed relatively recently as part of language revitalization and documentation efforts.

Because of this history, there is no single standardized way to represent these languages in written English, and orthography may vary across communities, institutions, and publications. The spellings used here reflect forms commonly used by the Nations themselves or in contemporary language documentation, but they should not be understood as the only correct forms.
 

For those interested in learning more about the territories on which they live, work, or travel, the Native Land Digital project provides an interactive map that identifies Indigenous territories, languages, and treaties across the world.
You can learn more about where you live and work here: Native Land Digital