Story 2: From Voices of Amiskwaciy to Voices of the Land

Voices of the Land is an expansion on Voices of Amiskwaciy, which was developed by the Edmonton Public Library (EPL) in consultation and collaboration with Indigenous communities and individuals in Edmonton. Voices of Amiskwaciy was launched in 2017 in response to Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action.

Voices of Amiskwaciy is as much about process as it is about the product. When approaching the creation of a space reflective of Indigenous communities, it was important to first learn and understand Indigenous community perspectives, expectations and concerns. The project team held five community consultations with Indigenous community members, leaders and organizational professionals during development. Edmonton Public Library continues to work with, seek guidance and respond to feedback from Elders, artists, youth, educators and the general community.

In recognition that stories are fluid and not limited to specific geographic regions, it was important to open this project province-wide and beyond. The Government of Alberta provided support on the expansion of this project. We worked with libraries, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers to update the site on functionality, appearance, content signifiers, trigger warnings, and etc. to be relevant to the diversity of Indigenous nations in Alberta. This included changing the name to Voices of the Land from Voices of Amiskwaciy, in order not to centre a specific region or language.