Guusto acknowledges that we were founded and many members of our team continue to work on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Guusto is also a remote-first company and we recognize that we operate and work on unceded and traditional territories of many different nations in the colonized land of what is now called Canada.
We recognize and acknowledge the discriminatory, racist, and colonial practices that have had a lasting legacy, and continue to create barriers for Indigenous peoples and communities everywhere and the benefits we have reaped from them.
Guusto views a land acknowledgement as more than a simple statement. It is a forum to try and personalize our connection to the territories on which we have settled. This passage, from Ta7talíya Michelle Nahanee’s Decolonize First workbook, offers some insights into the power of personally internalizing our territorial acknowledgment:
A territorial acknowledgement is a personal commitment to, and appreciation for, the land you are in a relationship with. It is a way to respect the Ancestors who cared for the land that is now caring for you. It can connect you to the medicine of the land.
When you acknowledge the territory in a good way, you build your strength, you give yourself medicine. You also model respectful relations. When you introduce yourself, and say where you are from, you can include whose territory you grew up on. A territorial acknowledgment uses the name of the Nation who cares for the land, not the colonial name of the place.
It is a decolonizing practice to be in good relations with land and appreciating Indigenous peoples' stewardship is part of that. Territorial acknowledgements have become compulsory email footers but can be so much more. If you’re new to this work, and want to find out whose land you are on, or grew up on, check out https://native-land.ca/
- Ta7talíya Michelle Nahanee, Decolonize First
Guusto has just started our journey towards reconciliation and we know that it will be a continuous process of education, growth, reflection, and commitments. We encourage our team, clients and partners to learn more about the lands they are currently living and working on, support Indigenous groups and businesses and give back what they can to the land and its people.
To find out on which territories you live and work, visit
Native Land and
Whose Land.
To help support Indigenous-owned businesses, visit
Indigimall &
Shop First Nations.
To learn more about the history of colonialism, racism, discrimination, and genocide towards Indigenous people in Canada, read the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action and
visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
There are many courses, both free and paid, to learn more about Canada’s history of colonialism, such as
Indigenous Canada at the University of Alberta.
