Beyond Land Acknowledgements: Indigenous Culture 101

Engaging, thought provoking lectures by experts, professors and storytellers in Ottawa bars 📚Lecture: Beyond Land Acknowledgements: Indigenous Culture 101 ⏱️Time: Doors: 6pm Lecture: 7pm 🎤Speaker: Tessa Belanger (Indigenous Educator & Founder of Pass the Sage) What does it actually mean to understand Indigenous culture beyond a land acknowledgement? This lecture offers an accessible introduction to Indigenous peoples, history, living culture, and respectful allyship. We’ll start with the basics: who First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples are, why Indigenous peoples are not one culture or one experience, and some of the historical context that continues to shape Indigenous-settler relationships today. But the night won’t stay focused on colonization and trauma. Drawing from her own experiences, Tessa will also explore contemporary Indigenous identity, humour, storytelling, powwows, and Jingle Dress dancing, including the things people often wonder about but may be afraid to ask: What is regalia? Why isn’t it a costume? When can you take photos? How do you participate respectfully? And why can protocols differ from one Nation or community to another? We’ll close by unpacking common misconceptions and looking at what it can actually mean to move beyond performative allyship toward listening, learning, and building more respectful relationships. Tessa Belanger is Algonquin from Kitigan Zibi and the founder of Pass the Sage, an Indigenous-led storytelling and education initiative centred on identity, culture, reflection, and creating space for Indigenous voices. Through Pass the Sage, Tessa has developed books, guided resources, workshops, and community programming for children, youth, adults, educators, and organizations. She is also a Jingle Dress dancer and brings lived experience, storytelling, cultural education, and an approachable teaching style into her work. Her programming has been delivered with schools, community organizations, and post-secondary institutions.