The case for Indigenous land acknowledgments in scholarly publishing
Authors: Brendan K Tao, Mostafa Bondok, Edsel B Ing
Journal: The Lancet (2024)

A land or territorial acknowledgment is a formal statement that gives deference to the original Indigenous inhabitants as the traditional custodians of now colonised lands occupied by academic institutions. This custom dates back centuries in many Indigenous cultures and is now commonly performed at academic meetings across Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. Land acknowledgments recognise truth and reconciliation and the enduring effects of colonialism and honour the right of Indigenous peoples to their traditional territories.1Whitmore C Carlson E Making land acknowledgements in the university setting meaningful and appropriate.Coll Teach. 2024; 72: 9-14Crossref Scopus (3) Google Scholar Review of the article submission guidelines of the top ten general medicine journals by their 2022 impact factor (according to the Journal Citation Reports published by Clarivate Analytics) showed that no land acknowledgments were required.2Web of ScienceThe top 20 highest-impact factor journals according to the Journal Citation Reports (JCR 2022), published by Clarivate Analytics in June 2023.https://wos-journal.info/blog/the-top-20-highest-impact-factor-journals-according-to-the-journal-citation-reports-jcr-2022-published-by-clarivate-analytics-in-2023/Date: 2023Date accessed: February 25, 2024Google Scholar However, land acknowledgments in scholarly publications should be strongly considered to promote respect and post-colonial Indigenous consciousness in academia. For academics of Indigenous heritage, this culture of respect might promote a stronger sense of invitation and belonging to the research space. For other academics, land acknowledgments might encourage a deeper consideration of the local implications of their research, especially for works that directly involve or affect Indigenous interests. For all, land acknowledgments within journal publications can signify commitment to reconciliation and preliminary steps in forging trust and positive working relationships with Indigenous peoples. Token land acknowledgments do not substitute for progressive, meaningful reconciliation that aims to promote Indigenous equity. Genuine recognition of Indigenous issues should accompany the land acknowledgment, along with advocacy for Indigenous wellbeing through scholarly work. The appropriate recognition of the diversity of Indigenous perspectives is also important. A generic or incomplete acknowledgment might oversimplify or misrepresent the complex histories and relationships of Indigenous peoples with their land. Thus, land acknowledgments should be developed collaboratively and iteratively with Indigenous peoples and be specific to the lands on which the research was conducted. We suggest that the authorship guidelines of journals provide authors the opportunity to include a land acknowledgment in the Acknowledgments section of their submissions, as we have done in this Correspondence. We welcome further discussion about the role and implementation of land acknowledgments in scholarly publishing. All authors declare no competing interests. This work was generated from centres that are located on traditional and unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations Peoples (British Columbia) and Treaty 6 (Alberta) territory, which is a gathering place of Cree, Métis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Anishinaabe (Ojibway, Saulteaux), Inuit, Blackfoot Confederacy (comprising the Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai First Nations Peoples), Tsuut'ina First Nation, and Stoney Nakoda Peoples (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations).