A Call to Action for Non-Indigenous Communities

A Call to Action for Non-Indigenous Communities

While land acknowledgements by non Indigenous organizations are intended to be respectful, they more often than not oversimplify complex tribal histories and fail to recognize the ongoing impacts of colonization that tribal communities continue to endure to this day.

In place of a land acknowledgement, the Indigenous Idaho Alliance - especially our Non-Native staff - are asking you to support Indigenous communities by taking action. We ask that you:

1. Give land back to tribes.
2. Protect the environment and salmon. Tribal cultures depend on them.
3. Insist that the United States respect tribal sovereignty and uphold its trust responsibility to tribes which includes appropriate levels of federal funding to support tribal needs. Many promises to tribes still need to be kept.
4. Elect officials and judges that understand tribal governments, relationships, and law.
5. Invest in tribal economies.
6. Challenge and reject all stereotypes about Indigenous people.
7. Insist that your children and grandchildren are taught accurate information about the histories, cultures, and contemporary lives of Indigenous peoples in your school system. And,
8. Inform yourself about issues impacting Indigenous communities and speak up.

The sovereignty, well-being, cultures, and languages of Indigenous peoples are borne of their homelands, which makes these lands and waters precious to Indigenous communities. In the spirit of this statement please know that you are standing on the unceded lands of the Nuwe/Nume (Paiute, Shoshone, Bannock) people and reside within the territorial lands of the Niimiipuu, the Schitsu’umsh, the Ktunaxa.

We all have a responsibility to respect and care for this land respectfully as the ancestor it is, while creating sustainability for future generations. Please do your part and Land Back.

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(Thank you to our friends and community partners at the Indigenous Idaho Alliance for sharing this with us! Learn more about their work HERE)