Land Acknowledgement and Tea
Key words: Storytelling, 2023 Nuit Blanche YXE, Meeting For Teas, Kyuubi Culture
Photo Credit: Jae Kim
Text Written by Xiao Han
“My grandpa was born in a small town called Dawu, where is a three-hour drive from Wuhan, China. My father was also born and raised in Dawu.
"It is a poor village," my father used to tell me. "Dinner was only potatoes and yams because nothing would grow in the sandy soil."
In the 60s, my grandparents relocated to Wuhan with my father and aunties for a better life. However, people who grew up in Dawu maintained intimate connections with their hometown and would revisit it during the Qing Ming festival every spring.
In 2006, just before my grandfather passed away, he expressed his last wish to return to his home in Dawu. He wants to be like leaves returning to their roots. He had a plan. He rented a place near the old house in Dawu to spend his final moments nearby.
During his last day in hospital, the doctor suggested nothing but companion with family with his last wished. My grandma, aware of his wish, asked, "Do you want to return home now?"
"Yes," my grandpa shouted his last words before falling into a coma.
So, the entire family, including my dad, aunties, and all the cousins, made the three-hour drive from Wuhan to Dawu. Grandpa arrives the house he rented and lay on the bed he prepared for himself. 9 p.m. that night, my grandfather passed away near the old house where he was born. As per his wishes. He was buried near where he was born.
I was in England when all of this happened. Listening to my mom retell this story, I realized how vital nostalgia was to my grandpa. Even though he had sought a better life in Wuhan, Dawu remained his only true hometown.
In 2016, after completing my studies in Canada, I found my partner and planned to settle in Saskatoon. At the same time, my father purchased the old house where he had grown up with his parents in Dawu. I know he has a plan. He experienced the same nostalgia as my grandfather, who wanted to be close to their roots, to his home.
Do I get such nostalgia? Yes. It took me some time to consider Saskatoons as “home.” I aways say: I’m going back China. But I used to refuse to say: I’m returning to Canada.
When the pandemic became a global issue, I was stuck in Saskatoon, unable to make a quick trip back to my hometown, Wuhan. I panicked, fearing that I could not fulfill the idea of being the "leave return to their root."
Where is my home?
In 2022, after my daughter was born, I stopped thinking about those questions. Not just because of the new mom’s busy life, I finally have the settled feeling, the feeling of home. She is my home; she is my root. I was awakening by realizing that roots do not have to be a geomatical place, does not have to stick to the physical location where we were born. Home also could be the person, the environment, the river, the mountain we have connection in this presence moment.
Today, against the backdrop of diverse cultures on this land, we must recognize that home is about the moments we share and the presence we create. We should also acknowledge that we are here due to the generosity, care, and love of all the people, cultures, and communities around us.
My art practice, research, and collaboration are based in the 6 Territory, the traditional land of the Anihšināpēk, Cree, Dene, Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota Nations. This area is also the ancestral home of the Métis, whose histories, languages, and cultures continue to influence and inspire our vibrant community. I feel grateful to the Indigenous people who shared their compassion and resources, allowing us, as sons and daughters of immigrants and settlers, to contribute to building this abundant land we now call home.
In contemporary Han ethnicity wedding culture, the gesture of serving and accepting the tea, symbolizes the commitment to becoming relatives from that day forward. Through this tea, we establish a connection. Through this tea, we will always be each other’s home.”
Performance script wrote by Xiao Han
Sept 20, 2023
Saskatoon”