Land Acknowledgement
Oakland and Berkeley sit in the territory of Huichin, part of the stolen land of the Chochenyo Muwekma Ohlone, the successors of the historic and sovereign Verona Band of Alameda County.
We acknowledge the land and labor of the Ohlone people, whose connection to this land we remember, and whose presence—past, present, and future—we respect. As part of Mills’ mission of supporting and fostering learning through the generation and dissemination of knowledge, we acknowledge that the land we are meeting on today is the original homeland of Ohlone people.
Why Land acknowledgements are important
These acknowledgements can easily be a token gesture rather than a meaningful practice. All settlers, including recent arrivants, have a responsibility to consider what it means to acknowledge the history and legacy of colonialism. What are some of the privileges settlers enjoy today because of colonialism?
While a brief acknowledgement may work for some groups, others wish to add more intention and detail to acknowledgements. To thoughtfully prepare an in-depth acknowledgement requires time and care. You may find it helpful to reflect on and research questions such as:
Why is this acknowledgement happening?
How does this acknowledgement relate to the event or work you are doing?
What is the history of this territory? What are the impacts of colonialism here?
What is your relationship to this territory? How did you come to be here?
What intentions do you have to disrupt and dismantle colonialism beyond this territory acknowledgement?
Taken from https://native-land.ca/resources/territory-acknowledgement/
ways to support
One material way to acknowledge our history and support Indigenous communities in the Bay Area is through the Shuumi Land Tax, a voluntary annual financial contribution that non-Indigenous people living on traditional Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone territory make to support the critical work of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust.
We encourage you to contribute in order to return, in a very small and insufficient but nonetheless worthy way, what was never yours to begin with.
Taken from https://www.lucyrandrews.com/land