Author Highlight
In honor of Indigenous People’s Day, we want to talk about one way to recognize our country’s colonial roots and one step MNA is taking to improve partnership with Native American communities.
Land acknowledgements recognize that the land we are teaching, working, and learning on has been stewarded by indigenous people and native communities for generations. In some ways they are a complement to the Pledge of Allegiance or National Anthem shared at other public events – an opportunity to practice a ritual to recognize all the nuance present in existing in our country, and an opportunity to engage in both pride and curiosity around a complex past. They are a traditional custom that has been practiced for centuries by Native American communities and have grown more common in non-Native led spaces.
In the summer of 2022, our team decided to take a deeper look at our land acknowledgement practices. Prior to this, land acknowledgments at MNA took a wide range of forms, from an opportunity to start meetings with a traditional Native blessing to recognizing the complicated history and ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous people in Montana. Like all practices involving symbolic equity, land acknowledgments at MNA have at times been performative, rushed, tokenizing, and misaligned with opportunities for education or partnership. Criticism of land acknowledgements nationwide led us to consider how MNA could approach this practice with an eye towards our values and members.
After reviewing and reflecting on Native Governance Center’s Beyond Land Acknowledgment Guide, members of our team worked to re-imagine a practice that amplified our partners, shifted toward action, and spent less time wordsmithing and more time acting.
First, we worked with a partner to develop standing language for our land acknowledgements so that we wouldn’t spend valuable time worrying over wording when we could be thinking about impact. Second, we committed to creating a land acknowledgment partnership for all large MNA in-person ticketed events. Past partners have included Western Native Voice, Helena Indian Alliance, All Nations Health Center, Chief Dull Knife College, Montana Consortium for Urban Indian Health, and others. In most cases this partnership includes a donation in the amount of an MNA Member ticket registration, sharing a Call to Action or message written by the partner, and an invitation to provide a welcome at the event. This is always dependent on the partner and their needs and wishes.
It is still not a flawless approach, and we sometimes drop the ball in identifying partners or coordinating action. We still receive feedback from members on acknowledgements being performative or pointless, unnecessary or pandering. We don’t do a formal acknowledgement at the start of our online training or member calls, and not every partnership allows for thoughtful conversation and impact.
But, we’ve been able to develop a stronger understanding of our members, partner with organizations that are building the future of Native leadership in Montana, and introduced some of you to the concept of land acknowledgments in action. We have donated over $2,000 to Native-led organizations since 2022 and shared calls to action from partners with over 5,000 folks through our conferences, fundraising summits, and regional events.
Looking toward 2025, we will continue to refine our practice and seek input on more meaningful partnerships with humility and respect. This includes exploring opportunities to amplify messages, a standing acknowledgement on our website, sharing training and resources from Native leaders in Montana, and being responsive to feedback from our partners and members with expertise and experience in land recognition.
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