Suzanne Keeptwo - We All Go Back to the Land

Photo courtesy of Nancy Engelhardt

Suzanne Keeptwo, Mtis of Qubec (Algonkin/French and Irish), is an artist and professional educator. She merges traditional Anishinaabe Teachings and artistic expression to explore Indigenous historical truths and contemporary realities. She has worked across the nation-state of Canada as a professional facilitator with host clients that include the Museum of Human Rights (Winnipeg), McGill University (Montral), Full Circle: First Nations Performance (Vancouver), and Natural Resources Canada (Ottawa). Suzanne works as a freelance writer, editor, and consultant. Her area of expertise is bridging cultural gaps of understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. She also enjoys leading the Four Nations Exchange, an Indigenous culturebased grassroots theatre ensemble in traditional unceded Algonquin territory, which she lovingly calls home.

Copyright 2021 Suzanne Keeptwo

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Printed and manufactured in Canada

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Cover and interior design: Carol Dragich, Dragich Design

Cover artwork: Jet Stream , by Kirk Brant

Proofreading and editorial assistance: Jazz Cook

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: We all go back to the land : the who, why, and how of land acknowledgements / Suzanne Keeptwo.

Names: Keeptwo, Suzanne, 1959- author.

Description: Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200414178 | Canadiana (ebook) 20200414275 | ISBN 9781550598674 (softcover) | ISBN 9781550598681 (PDF) | ISBN 9781550598698 (Kindle) | ISBN 9781550598704 (EPUB)

Subjects: LCSH: Indigenous peoples Canada Social life and customs. | LCSH: Reconciliation. | LCSH: Canada Race relations. | LCSH: Canada Ethnic relations.

Classification: LCC E98.S7 K44 2021 | DDC 305.897/071 dc23

In loving dedication to my father, Gerry Halpin, my editing mentor who modelled honesty, hard work, a love of literature, the importance of history, and having a sense of humour.

Note regarding the use of capitalization: As Land is sacred, it is capitalized throughout the book, as are the Traditional Teachings or any reference to the Values of Old or terms that I feel require emphasis from a traditional perspective. You will note the specific interchanging of Elder and elder, Leader and leader. When capitalized, these roles denote the traditional definition rather than the contemporary.

Note regarding terminology: As the word Indigenous is an all-inclusive, government-imposed term that means Inuit, Mtis, and the First Nations, I prefer using Original peoples within the context of specific Land and regions. The word Original is always capitalized, indicating untainted by European influence. I also use the term Native . When I use Indigenous , it means Inuit, Mtis, and First Nation peoples. Whiteman is used interchangeably with European and Euro-Canadian .