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How Indigenous land acknowledgements can miss the point – Axios

October 11, 2024

Land acknowledgements — the recognition that Indigenous people were the original inhabitants of American land — have become more common among academics, nonprofits, companies, celebrities and even in social media bios.

Why it matters: The well-meaning attempts to educate non-Indigenous people can fail to reach their desired impact if they aren’t paired with more concrete action to support Indigenous communities.

  • “When you make an acknowledgement, it can’t just be one and done,” Lydia Jennings, a citizen of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and soil scientist, told Axios.
  • “It has to be this reminder of having ongoing action — of being a steward, continuing to do things, of making space, making [systemic] change.”

The big picture: “After millennia of Native history, and centuries of displacement and dispossession, acknowledging original Indigenous inhabitants is complex,” per the National Museum of the American Indian.

Read More: https://www.axios.com/2024/10/11/indigenous-people-land-acknowledgements

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