Land Acknowledgements in Ceremonies
At Tapestry, we are lucky to work with so many couples who feel deeply connected to the places they choose to get married in. Whether you’re a born and raised Seattleite, a Pacific Northwest transplant, or a visitor who feels called to the area, we understand that instinctive appeal that calls you to the majesty of Mother Nature and the transformative experiences only found in the wild and great outdoors.
Every time we meet someone with this same spiritual connection to this land uniquely fills our hearts. But we have found an opportunity to go even deeper into an understanding of the land that provides us with innumerable and intangible goodness. As Pacific Northwesterners and white women, we were raised in local cities and towns, more of them named after Indigenous peoples and nations than not. Our seasonal education and community festivals, while held in settler communities, gave a nod to Indigenous people and practices that existed on the land before us. While there is still a great deal of work to be done, we recognize that the legacy of Indigenous stewards of our land is very much alive and has an abundance to teach us, should we take the time to get curious and learn.
We’d like to call you into that next layer by sharing a bit about land acknowledgements: what they are, what forms they take, and how to authentically invoke them. We hope that, by sparking your curiosity in this realm, you feel called to understand a new and historical layer of why the land calls to you the way it does and how you can share that magic with others in your community.
WHAT IS A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT?
A land acknowledgement is when you publicly recognize the original stewards of the land you are on. It is a meaningful way to honor Indigenous peoples and resist erasure of their histories by naming them and their historic relationship with the land. By generating visibility around the original stewards of the land, those who share land acknowledgements may have a number of intentions or purposes. A few examples include:
To spark recognition or curiosity about local treaties and practices with Indigenous peoples, especially in colonized spaces where they have the power to disrupt and discomfit settler colonialism.
To build accountable relationships to those communities for the ongoing impact of historical abuse from white colonialism and stolen Indigenous land. Learn more about what USA’s stolen land looks like geographically in this article.
To counteract the predominant white narrative of the Doctrine of Discovery and white naming of the land, otherwise known as the invisibilization of Indigenous peoples and history.
To acknowledge the spirituality of the Indigenous peoples, honor traditional Indigenous protocol, and center Indigenous priority on the land.
Land acknowledgements are most commonly practiced in settler communities in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and among Tribal Nations in the United States. In some areas, it is public policy to do so.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT FORMS A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT CAN TAKE?
There is no one right way of creating a land acknowledgment. There are 567 federally recognized Tribal Nations, each with their own history and protocols for welcome and acknowledgement, in addition to state-recognized tribes and peoples. Identifying the traditional inhabitants of the land you are on may be tricky, so it’s important to do your research when forming your land acknowledgement, whatever form it may take. We will dig more into doing your research later, but for now, we want to share the three main ways to offer a land acknowledgment as part of your ceremony.
Oral
An oral land acknowledgement is offered during the opening of a gathering by the leader or speaker. This is most often done at the beginning of a wedding or elopement ceremony and given by the ceremony leader.
Written
A written land acknowledgement is incorporated on informational pieces or platforms to reach its audience. This can be done on event signage, activities, informational cards, or programs inside the ceremony context.
Practice
Traditions and practices to honor the land are often observed upon entering the land, or as part of a gathering. These should be heavily researched in partnership with Native leaders and granted permission by those cultural authorities.
WHY SHOULD WE CONSIDER A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IN OUR CEREMONY?
If you have a deep connection to the land, so much so that you feel called to share one of the most special and intimate commitments of your life standing on it, or establishing your home and family within it, then acknowledging the land for what it gives you becomes an essential part of your ceremony. If you want to learn more about the history, majesty, community, ecosystem, and use of the land you feel called to, then learning about the Indigenous stewardship of the land is paramount. If you want to capture all the dimension and beauty of the great outdoors as part of your celebration, or share a deep appreciation for a place as part of your step into marriage, then learning how to do so from Indigenous elders is the only way to paint the beautiful and holistic picture that you envision.
HOW DO WE INCORPORATE A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT ISN’T VIRTUE SIGNALING OR APPROPRIATING CULTURAL PRACTICES?
Acknowledgement is a small gesture that becomes more meaningful when coupled with authentic relationships and informed action. If what you are reading sparks further curiosity about the land your ceremony sits on, and you follow up on that curiosity with research and direct action, then a land acknowledgement may be a good fit for you. Moving into a right relationship with Indigenous people is an essential part of the process. Incorporating a land acknowledgement into your ceremony can also be an opening to greater public consciousness of Native sovereignty and cultural rights for your guests, leading them towards a relationship of reconciliation with America’s erasure of their cultural history.
Below are the red flags to look out for that indicate your interest in a land acknowledgement may be heading towards performative or cultural appropriation.
Keep in mind: this practice is relatively new in the United States, and practice requires trial and error and repetition to become confident and comfortable. We highlight these red flags not to stop you on your journey, but to provide bumper guards to continue guiding you in the direction of curiosity and right action. Indigenous awareness and decolonization is a journey, and we are right here on the path alongside you. So if you find yourself confronting some of these red flags, call them out for what they are and keep going!
When considering a land acknowledgement, are you hoping to repeat something you saw? To repurpose it for your own use?
Be aware that familiarity breeds apathy. If you saw this practice somewhere else and thought it was interesting, but are not actually interested in doing further research or collaboration with local Indigenous peoples to write your own land acknowledgement, then it is performative. If acknowledgement is the only step you plan to take and has no relationship to action that decolonizes your relationships with people and place, then it is performative.
Is your interest in a land acknowledgement just for the day? Or to check an inclusion box?
If so, then your efforts are performative. However, if the land acknowledgement is a part of your wider attempt to address settler colonialism and build inroads to relationships with Indigenous people, then it comes from an authentic place. If you have taken the time to learn about the Indigenous stewards of the land and their complex and nuanced histories, rather than mouthing the names of local Indigenous nations with no understanding, then your deep engagement with the purpose of the acknowledgement is true.
When you run into uncomfortable truths, do you shy away? Does it affect your interest in offering a land acknowledgement?
Know that the purpose of a land acknowledgement is to create disruption and discomfort for all who are present. They are a transformative act when they force non-Indigenous peoples to confront their own place in and on the land. What does it mean that you are present on the land and occupied territory? What responsibility do you have considering that legacy? How can you sit in that understanding with a sense of closeness and curiosity in the place of distancing?
When offering a traditional Indigenous practice, are you recycling something you read online?
If so, this is cultural appropriation. Practices are passed down between people and can only be properly learned from a Native elder or cultural leader. To adopt something found online for the purposes of your celebration completely disconnects the practice from the people who steward that tradition. If you have genuine interest in honoring and incorporating tribal practices, connect directly with those who they belong to in order to learn and receive permission to share them with others.
WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS?
Here is the fun end to this blog: we are going to give you very limited examples. It is through repetition, protocol, and a formulaic approach to land acknowledgements that they lose their meaning entirely. The purpose of a land acknowledgement is not merely to inform others that Indigenous people exist, but to spark or continue a practice of meaningful engagement with Indigenous history, policy, and people.
The best point of entry is always through relationships and dialogue with Native communities in the area. If you do not yet have those relationships, it doesn’t mean you can’t begin. You can find maps of native land online, and the Native Languages of the Americas site offers a breakdown by state with contact information for local tribes available. There may also be resources available at local universities and colleges, especially those with departments or programs on Indigenous peoples. To take it a step further, reach out and join a conversation with Native elders and culture-bearers in your region to see how they would like this practice to take shape locally, as well as be of the greatest benefit to their communities.
After conducting your research, write your acknowledgement. We encourage you to formulate land acknowledgements newly, but also recognize the benefit of giving you some examples to help get your wheels turning (especially if you do not write frequently).
If you are creating an oral or written land acknowledgement…
consider the following ideas provided by the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture and Seattle University’s Indigenous Peoples Institute to get started:
Simple acknowledgement: “We acknowledge that we are on the traditional land of the __________ People.”
Honoring elders: “I would like to acknowledge that this meeting is being held on the traditional lands of the __________ People, and pay my respect to elders both past and present.”
Showing a reciprocal relationship with the land: “I want to respectfully acknowledge the __________ People, who have stewarded this land throughout the generations.”
Mentioning the occupied, unceded nature of the territory: “We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is the occupied/unceded/seized territory of the __________ People.” / “I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are in the __________, the ancestral and unceded territory of the __________ People.”
Elaborating on Indigenous stewardship of the land: “To acknowledge this land is to recognize its longer history and our place in that history; it is to recognize these lands and waters and their significance for the peoples who lived and continue to live in this region, whose practices and spiritualties were and are tied to the land and the water, and whose lives continue to enrich and develop in relationship to the land, waters and other inhabitants today.”
You can begin with a simple statement and elaborate over time as you learn more, build relationships with Native communities, and grow more comfortable with the practice. For your ceremony, incorporate the person responsible for the oration into your research and process. A land acknowledgement should be offered with respect, grounded in authentic reflection, presence, and awareness, and that can only happen if the person facilitating your ceremony is aligned with your commitment to acknowledging Indigenous stewardship.
If your land acknowledgement is landing in writing...
be sure it’s located in a manner that will reach the eyes of all of your guests and land in a context where it makes an impact. Information without context or action can become performative, so writing or creating a call to action that supports Indigeous people in a way that is impactful to their land and people is important. This can come in the form of encouraging your guests to visit local sites for further information on local Indigenous people or facilitating a donation to Indigenous organizations as your guests favor.
If you are observing an Indigenous land acknowledgement practice...
be sure to do so in the exact manner prescribed by the Native leaders you have consulted. While it may be tempting to adapt what you’ve learned to the style of the rest of your ceremony, it causes harm to and contributes to the erasure of Indigenous history and culture if you go down that path. Be sure that the person facilitating the practice has been given permission by the local tribes to conduct the ceremony and can do so with integrity.
Photos courtesy of Lauren Turner Photography.
As you dig deeper and go beyond awareness of Indigenous presence, your journey may evolve into understanding your obligations as a guest in the territory, protocols to be invited, the responsibilities your hosts have towards you and making space for them to be exercised, and understanding how your event benefits your host. Remain uncomfortable and continue to disrupt settler understanding of the land. Consider how you can be in a good relationship with the Indigenous people on the land today, with non-humans, and with the land. The Indigenous people have wisdom to share about all of those topics... if you reach out and ask.
— Kate, Tapestry Creative Director
MORE RESOURCES.
For resources local to the Pacific Northwest, we recommend visiting Seattle University’s Indigenous People Institute at the College of Arts and Sciences.