You may have heard me do a land acknowledgment at the beginning of a worship service before. I certainly endeavor to make this a regular practice. I thought it would be useful to take this time, space, and opportunity to explain what a land acknowledgement is and why we say them.

According to the National Museum of the American Indian in New York:

Land acknowledgment is a traditional custom that dates back centuries in many Native nations and communities. Today, land acknowledgments are used by Native Peoples and non-Natives to recognize Indigenous Peoples who are the original stewards of the lands on which we now live. …

After millennia of Native history, and centuries of displacement and dispossession, acknowledging original Indigenous inhabitants is complex. Many places in the Americas have been home to different Native Nations over time, and many Indigenous people no longer live on lands to which they have ancestral ties. Even so, Native Nations, communities, families, and individuals today sustain their sense of belonging to ancestral homelands and protect these connections through Indigenous languages, oral traditions, ceremonies, and other forms of cultural expression. …

When people ask for guidance in making land acknowledgments, we suggest reaching out directly to local Indigenous communities and to Native Nations forcibly removed from the area in the past to ask how they want to be recognized. Land acknowledgments can be spoken at the beginning of public and private gatherings, from school programs and sporting events to town halls. …

Making a land acknowledgment should be motivated by genuine respect and support for Native Peoples. Speaking and hearing words of recognition is an important step in creating collaborative, accountable, continuous, and respectful relationships with Indigenous nations and communities.

To be clear, I have not reached out to a local Indigenous community for guidance. I have relied on resources I have found online. I welcome any of you to join me in cultivating relationships with local Indigenous peoples.

Furthermore, land acknowledgement is only a starting place, albeit an important, awareness-raising place to start. In order for it to be meaningful, it needs to be connected to behavior which seeks to collaborate with and be accountable to Indigenous communities. Our behavior should be impactful in a positive way, by means of listening to the needs and desires of Indigenous communities, recognizing cultural differences, and following their leadership. It is not for us to tell them what they need, thus acting to further promote colonization and cultural degradation. In other words, a land acknowledgement is not the transformation. It is the beginning of love + connection. When we connect– with love and humility– and do the hard work of dismantling oppressions (in ourselves and our institutions, as our 8th Principle states), then we will begin to see transformation. Again, I invite you to join me in this endeavor as we seek the ways in which we can hold history for the benefit of all.