Navigating uneven terrain: An autoethnographic reflection on a White Treaty person's journey to relational responsibilities

Abstract

This autoethnographic study explores my relationship with Land and the Anishinaabeg as a White Treaty person spending time on FWFN Traditional Territory. It examines how White Treaty people experience these relationships and how they shape our responsibilities toward Treaties and planetary health. Spending time with Anemki Wajiw and its Sister Mountains deepens my sense of place and challenges me to confront uncomfortable emotions and (un)learnings that arise from spending time with Anishinaabeg Traditional Territory. Using an autoethnographic embodied movement method, I spent three days walking-with (skiing) on FWFN Reserve Lands and Traditional Territory in winter and spring 2026. I conducted a thematic analysis using NVivo software and manual methods. Grounded in the foundational theme of Shifting Understandings of Relationality and Responsibilities, three main themes emerged: Listening to Land; Negotiating Presence and Belonging; and Navigating Accountability and Imposition. Listening to Land reflects my bond with Land through awe, nurturing, and recognizing interconnected relationships. Negotiating Presence and Belonging involved acknowledging my entitlement and colonial privileges to access Land, especially FWFN Reserve Lands. Navigating Accountability and Imposition revealed my awareness of responsibilities, fears of imposition, and learning to accept uncertainty. Shifting Understandings of Relationality and Responsibilities highlights my evolving view of duties to Land and the Anishinaabeg. It reflects my intellectual and embodied development throughout the project and my ongoing commitment to accountability to Treaty obligations and to an ethical presence on Land, grounded in authenticity and humility. This study emphasizes the importance of providing White Treaty people with models for ethical engagement with Land and its original Peoples. Land is more than a setting for health-promoting activities; it is a source of belonging, responsibility, and relational accountability, and it is the foundation for understanding that human and planetary health are rooted in relationships.