How to Reconcile

Another way to increase awareness is to name more locations in Indigenous languages. An example of this was in 2010, when Queen Charlotte Islands was renamed to Haida Gwaii to acknowledge the Haida First Nations Peoples who lived there.   Or when UBC worked together with the Musqueam First Nation, whose land they reside on, to name three of its new houses in their Totem Park residences, həm̓ləsəm̓ and q̓ələχən in 2011 and c̓əsnaʔəm in 2017.  This contrasts with 1960, when UBC named their first residences after First Nations without their consent, leading to the names being used incorrectly for decades. Using Indigenous language to name buildings can increase awareness of the peoples who used to, and still do, live on this land by acknowledging their language and culture. This may spark learning opportunities for people who may want to learn more about Indigenous languages.