Guidelines on acknowledging Aboriginal Peoples at SFU ceremonies and events

To honour and pay respect to the Indigenous Peoples whose lands that SFU is situated, the university community is encouraged to acknowledge Aboriginal Peoples and their traditional lands whenever possible at the beginning of ceremonies and events. These guidelines have been compiled by SFU Ceremonies and Events in collaboration with SFU’s Office for Aboriginal Peoples.

General guidelines on acknowledgements at ceremonies and events

Acknowledgement of the traditional lands is typically made by the very first speaker at the beginning of a ceremony or event program (if subsequent speakers also wish to make this acknowledgement, this would be appropriate, but is not required).

At ceremonies and larger events, it is recommended that an aboriginal elder, preferably a member of SFU’s Elders Program is invited to provide a welcome to open the event. The Elder would be the very first speaker on the program (ahead of the MC, senior members of the university and any members of government). Each Elder will have their own preference on what they would like to say to welcome guests. So, if the following speakers note that the traditional lands were not recognized, they should include the acknowledgement at the beginning of their remarks.



The following are the acknowledgements for each of the SFU campuses: