​Switching Styles is based in central Alberta, on the enduring homelands of many Indigenous Peoples, including the Beaver, Big Stone Cree, Cree, Dënéndeh, Ĩyãħé Nakón mąkóce (Stoney), Kelly Lake Métis Settlement Society, Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis, Lheidli T’enneh, Michif Piyii (Métis), Mountain Métis, Niitsítpiis-stahkoii (Blackfoot / Niitsítapi), Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Tsuut’ina, ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ ᐊᐢᑭᕀ Nêhiyaw-Askiy (Plains Cree), Woodland Cree, and many others. We acknowledge that these Nations have lived on, cared for, and stewarded this land since time immemorial, and continue to do so today.

 

As a Canadian music platform, we recognize that the arts exist within broader systems shaped by colonial history. Colonial policies and practices deliberately sought to suppress Indigenous cultures. This includes the banning and censorship of Indigenous music and ceremony using assimilationist laws such as the Indian Act, unfair and ill-intended treaties, and colonial practices such as Residential Schools.  During this time, more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children were forcibly taken from their families and communities and placed in residential schools, often far from home. Children were punished for speaking their languages or practicing their cultures, and many experienced neglect, abuse, and loss. These schools caused profound and lasting harm, contributing to the erosion of Indigenous languages, knowledge systems, traditions, and cultural expression.

 

We acknowledge this history and its ongoing impacts of colonialism. We are grateful for the opportunity to share music and culture on these lands, and we commit to ongoing learning, accountability, respect, and meaningful action in support of Indigenous sovereignty, self-determination, and cultural resurgence. We are committed to supporting Indigenous voices and ensuring that Indigenous music, stories, and cultures are protected, amplified, and never erased.

 

We encourage our readers and community to learn about the Indigenous Peoples on whose lands they live, to engage with this history, and to actively support Indigenous artists, creators, and cultural workers. 

 

As visitors to this land, it is our responsibility to listen, learn, and act with care.

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