We would like to begin by acknowledging that the institutions collaborating in the realization of this international conference, the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), are both located on unceded indigenous lands. The Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) Nation is recognized as the custodian of the lands and waters of Tiohtià:ke (Montreal), which has long served as a place for many First Nations to live, meet and exchange. We also wish to recognize the strong ties that unite the Anishinaabe Nation to this territory, which is known by these people as Mooniyang (in Anishinaabemowin). Today, the Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang lands are home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other people. We respect the continued connections to the past, present and future in our ongoing relationships with Indigenous and other peoples within the Montreal community1.
1 This statement is based on the territorial acknowledgement statement of Concordia University (Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang/Montreal) < https://www.concordia.ca/indigenous/resources/reconnaissance-territoriale.html >; as well as on the territorial recognition statement proposed by the Groupe de recherche interdisciplinaire sur les affirmations autochtones contemporaines (GRIAAC) of UQAM (Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang/Montreal) < https://griaac. uqam.ca/reconnaissance-territoriale/ >; and on McGill University’s territorial recognition statement (Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang/Montreal) < mcgill.ca/indigenous/land-and-peoples/learn-about-land-and-peoples-tiohtiake-montreal >.