LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

WHAT IS A LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT?

A land acknowledgment is a formal statement that recognizes Indigenous Peoples as the original residents of the land and brings attention to the history of the land occupied. It is also a commitment to standing in solidarity to combat Indigenous erasure. Land acknowledgments have been released by a growing number of institutions across the United States and Canada. Spokane Public Library partnered with the Spokane Tribe of Indians to create this land acknowledgment.

LIBRARY LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT STATEMENT

All Spokane Public Library buildings sit on the traditional homelands of the four bands of the Spokane Tribe of Indians: Sntútʔulixʷi, Snxʷmeneʔi, Sc̓qesciłni, and Sčewíleʔ (Upper Band, Middle Band, Lower Band, Chewelah Band). Since time immemorial, the Spokane Tribe of Indians has lived and cared for these grounds. Identifying themselves as “sqélixʷ,” or “Flesh of the Earth.” We pay our respects to their Elders – past, present, and emerging. We show gratitude to the land, river, and peoples who have been fishing, hunting, harvesting, and gathering here for generations. May we learn from one another’s stories, so that we may nurture the relationship of the People of the Spokane Tribe and to all those who share this land.