Advent Land Acknowledgement

This advent is unique because it's the first when we are (pretty much) quarantined in our home, and also the first when we have owned our home free and clear. It's gotten me to thinking about our land and it's history, and what brought me to this valley - I mean, historically.

My nuclear family's heritage is English, French, Dutch, German, Swiss, Norwegian, and Slavic. Some of my family came to North America with the first pilgrim ships. We moved west steadily, and came to Oregon as early as 1888. My mother's family were mostly farmers and loggers in the Willamette Valley, and my father's family settled further north.

We live now on the traditional land of the Kalapuya people.  

I've been looking for a way to recognize and show respect for those indigenous people who lived here before us, and I stumbled onto the Native Governance site for writing Indigenous Land Acknowledgements, a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories.

“To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory you reside on, and a way of honoring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. It is important to understand the longstanding history that has brought you to reside on the land, and to seek to understand your place within that history. Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation.” (Northwestern University)

Agenda: 

1. Research my land

2. Write an Indigenous land acknowledgement letter 

3. Pay rent

1. Research my land:

I need to know more about the indigenous people to whom this land belongs (indigenous place names and languages, and the correct pronunciation for the names ), the history of the land and any related treaties.

2. Write an Indigenous land acknowledgement letter:

Tips from the Native Governance Center:

Use appropriate language. Don’t sugarcoat the past. Use terms like genocide, ethnic cleansing, stolen land, and forced removal to reflect actions taken by colonizers.

Use past, present, and future tenses. Indigenous people are still here, and they’re thriving. Don’t treat them as a relic of the past.

Land acknowledgments shouldn’t be grim. They should function as living celebrations of Indigenous communities. Ask yourself, “How am I leaving Indigenous people in a stronger, more empowered place because of this land acknowledgment?” Focus on the positivity of who Indigenous people are today.

Understand displacement and how that plays into land acknowledgment. Land acknowledgment is complicated. Remember that the United States government displaced many Tribes from land before treaties were signed.

3. Pay rent:

I know that writing this letter is only a starting place. I need to find ways to take action all through the year to support the Indigenous community. 

My friend Jill had an idea: She plans to pay one percent of her property tax each year to a local Tribe, as rent for their ancestral lands. I can do that!