Indigenous Heritage month

November is Native American Heritage month, which is meant to acknowledge and celebrate the rich and diverse cultures within these communities and to honor and celebrate their important contributions to our lives and cultures.

The simple fact that Native Americans continue to exist today, despite the attempted genocide by our ancestors is reason enough for celebration and consideration.

As of the 2020 census, the combined population of American Indian and Alaskan Native peoples was 9.7 million. Source: IndianCountryToday.com

Disclaimer: I do not pretend to be an expert on Native Americans, Ny particular nations, or an expert in providing services to these communities. I have been educating myself and diversifying my social media and media consumption in general and invite you to do the same.

So, let’s start with a land acknowledgment. What is a land acknowledgement? A land acknowledgement is a formal statement that recognizes and respects the indigenous peoples as traditional stewards of this land, the enduring relationship that exists between indigenous peoples and their traditional lands.

To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose homelands we reside on and a recognition of the original people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. It is important to realize the longstanding history that has brought us to reside on the lands and to seek to appreciate our place within that history.

Land acknowledgements do not exist in past tense or outside historical context. Colonialism is an ongoing process and we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation. The use of a land acknowledgement statement also encourages individuals to think about what it means to occupy space on indigenous lands. 

Source: Cal State San Marcos Toolkit developed with the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center.

It is easy to look up whose traditional lands you are currently residing on. Just go to https://native-land.ca , enter your address and you will find out whose traditional homeland you are living on, languages and treaties.

I would like to respectfully acknowledge that I am writing this post in what is traditional territory of the Kumeyaay.