The next time you present a land acknowledgement, remember Linda Mary Beardy

This column is an opinion by Nicole Murdock, a Cree and Anishinaabe mother, writer and university student. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

Over the past few years, land acknowledgements have become increasingly common practice. Over the past few months, the remains of Indigenous women continue to turn up in landfills. We must not become indifferent to either.

Recently, I was asked to present a land acknowledgement at an event. After initially agreeing, I followed up with the hosts and made a few requests to ensure the establishment engage meaningfully with the land acknowledgement. After being informed that my requests could not be met prior to the event, I declined.

Days later, I learned that the body of Linda Mary Beardy, a 33-year-old Indigenous mother, had been discovered at Winnipeg's Brady Road landfill. 

According to the Winnipeg Police Service, the day her remains were discovered, Beardy was seen climbing into a garbage bin. No one saw her exit the bin prior to the contents being emptied into a garbage truck, transported to the Brady landfill and discarded.

Like Linda Mary Beardy, I'm a 33-year-old Indigenous mother. Linda Mary Beardy did not deserve to end up in a landfill and neither do I.

If the intention of a land acknowledgement is to recognize the relationship that Indigenous Peoples had with the land prior to colonization, we must also acknowledge how Indigenous Peoples are regarded on those same lands today. 

As land acknowledgements are routinely performed, Indigenous women continue to be devalued, dehumanized and disposed of in landfills.

Back in February, I invited a group of friends to my home to watch the NBA all-star game, a.k.a. the night that Jully Black changed the lyrics to the national anthem. While performing O Canada, Black reminded viewers of a powerful truth: Canada is "our home on Native land."

It is time we move beyond gestures.- Nicole Murdock

Black's revisionist rendition garnered mixed reviews. Black was bombarded with hateful, racist messages from people outraged by the change. More recently, however, the Assembly of First Nations embraced and honoured Black for her intentional acknowledgement in a blanketing ceremony, where she was presented with an eagle feather and star blanket.

A few months prior, Cambria and Kera Harris were also honoured by the AFN in a blanketing ceremony, but for another reason entirely.

After there were concerns that the Winnipeg Police Service failed to conduct a timely search of the Prairie Green landfill for the remains of their mother, Morgan Harris — one of four Indigenous women allegedly killed by the same man — Cambria and Kera Harris called on the federal government for assistance. In turn, the federal government provided $500,000 to conduct a feasibility study to determine whether remains could be recovered.

The study is currently underway. The body of Morgan Harris remains unrecovered.

As is the tendency with palatable action, land acknowledgements have become an increasingly vague gesture, mistakenly viewed interchangeably with reconciliation.

It is time we move beyond gestures.

Take a moment to consider us. To value us.- Nicole Murdock

Violence against Indigenous women takes place on many levels. In the wake of the tragic discovery of Linda Mary Beardy's body in the Brady landfill, the calls for justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls remain more prevalent than ever.

The family of Linda Mary Beardy has called for an independent investigation into her death.

The death and discovery of Linda Mary Beardy's body in the Brady landfill is synonymous with the MMIWG2S crisis. The complete disregard for her life is evidence of this. We must be willing to acknowledge and make the effort to reconcile this.

The next time you hear a land acknowledgement performed — or should you have the opportunity to present a land acknowledgement yourself — consider more than just the traditional lands you occupy. 

Take a moment to consider us. To value us. More common ground exists between us than you might think.

True reconciliation is deeply uncomfortable work, and it requires collective participation. While affecting large-scale systemic change, for many, feels impossible and overwhelming, there is much to be done on an individual level to help get us there.

Linda Mary Beardy was a 33-year-old Indigenous mother. 

Humanize her.

Remember her. 

As long as you are here, at home on Native land, honour her.

This column is part of  CBC's Opinion section. For more information about this section, please read this editor's blog and our FAQ.

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Support is available for anyone affected by details of this case. If you require support, you can contact Ka Ni Kanichihk's Medicine Bear Counselling, Support and Elder Services at 204-594-6500, ext. 102 or 104 (within Winnipeg) or 1-888-953-5264 (outside Winnipeg).

Support is also available via Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Liaison unit at 1-800-442-0488 or 204-677-1648.