From Acknowledgment to Action
A
htna Elder Wilson Justin once told of the United States. I found myself within How can Land me a Land Acknowledgment is when an institutionalized space where most of my Acknowledgment in Alaska you present a “happy face” and cross peers were non-Native. This setting was not meaningfully contribute to onto another’s land in a respectful way. Your new to me. I listened as the chatter and netequality? “happy face” is putting on your beads and working around me quieted and the host apBy Melissa Shaginoff dentalium and introducing yourself in your proached the microphone. They welcomed language. You do this to offer respect to the all the attendees and thanked them for bestewards of that land, the Indigenous people, ing there. With a pause they stated, “We are and to tell those stewards who you are and on Indigenous land.” They then proceeded out the world. I found much Indigenousto thank those specific people for their past authored content and criticism surrounding what you stand for. Land Acknowledgment is a public state- and present stewardship of that place and to the movement, but none that seemed spement recognizing the Indigenous people remind us that all places have both an Indig- cific to Alaska or widely practiced by its inof a place. In Alaska we are on Indigenous enous memory and an Indigenous contem- stitutions. I felt in many ways that Land Acland. Because of this truth, Land Acknowl- porary story. In hearing this I felt my eyes knowledgment was already deeply rooted in edgment has become a widely implemented tear and my throat tie into knots. I tried to Alaska Native ways of being, in our respect practice across the state. It has largely be- calm myself as the host started again. Look- and public recognition of each other. Our come a performative signal of allyship and, ing into the faces of my peers I realized my relationship to the land and animals is susfrom the outside, it leads us to believe we reaction, like my Native-ness, was singular tainable and our ability to remember that we are doing the right thing. But what does in that room. This moment took time to all stand upon the shoulders and work of our Land Acknowledgment actually do for our process. I found myself asking the questions, ancestors is a cultural imperative. But how communities within Alaska? What does it “Why was I so moved by these words?”, and can this knowledge be conveyed in words, in personally mean to hear, see, and say a Land “Did other Indigenous people have a similar a few phrases, in a Land Acknowledgment? At this time in my work, I wanted to build Acknowledgment? Can Land Acknowledg- experience in hearing them?” ment become action? When I returned home I started research- something that created conversation about When I first heard a Land Acknowledg- ing the Land Acknowledgment movement why we should or should not embrace Land ment I was attending a conference outside and how it was communicated through- Acknowledgment, while considering the
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A L A S K A H U M A N I T I E S F O R U M S U M M E R 2020
