“We have always been here, but now we are getting the acknowledgement of it.”
Those were the words of Lheidli T’enneh Cheif Dolleen Logan at the Prince George Public Library this morning (Friday), as the library officially recognized the Lheidli T’enneh’s traditional land.
Moving forward, the library will make a land acknowledgement before every event and in all public communication, and a plaque from the Lheidli T’enneh will be hung up at both the downtown and Hart Highway branches.
The library is the next in a recent spree of groups making similar official acknowledgements, including the City of Prince George, the Regional District, and most recently the airport.
“The past year has been proud for Lheidli T’enneh,” Logan said, mentioning that groups like the library are approaching them about these acknowledgements, not the other way around.
“They say ‘we know we live, work and play on Lheidli T’enneh ancestral lands, we want to do this.’ It is amazing, it has grown so much – more than I had ever anticipated.”
Thinking especially of the youth, Logan said “everyone needs a sense of belonging.”
“They have always known they are Lheidli T’enneh, they are proud to be Lheidli T’enneh, but now the city is acknowledging that they are Lheidli T’enneh, that they really belong.”
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