Are you
honoring
those whose
land youstand on?
What is Land Acknowledgment
and why you should do it?

meztli projects (operating out of Tongva land)Land Acknowledgment.
How can we truly heal ourselves if we don’t
heal that first scar caused to our body, ourmemory, our story, our spirit, and the land?
Practicing land acknowledgments can help
us begin a process of reconciling how the
majority of our existence is a continual
displacement of Indigenous Peoples.
In our social justice (woke) spaces we use
words like decolonize, cultural
appropriation, restorative justice - but how
can we truly do any of those things without
centering on those who were/are the original
stewards of the land.
Indigenous Peoples have always practiced thehonoring of guests as-well-as their hosts when
visiting other nations, communities, etc. It’stime we do the same.

meztli projects

Land Acknowledgment (Basics).
What is a Land Acknowledgment?
A formal recognition of the original stewardsof the land and their connection to it.
Why should we recognize the land?
To honor and show gratitude as a sign ofrespect and willingness to heal. The more wetalk about displacement and gentrification it
is important to center the conversations ofland use on Indigenous Peoples.
Sample Land Acknowledgment
Today we gather here an acknowledge that
this land was originally called (insert
traditional land name) and is home to (insert
name here) the original stewards of thisterritory. We are committed to uplifting thename of these lands and community members
from these Nations who reside alongside us.

meztli projects

For organizers (events, meetings, etc.)• Begin by acknowledging the Peoples by their
desired name and the land you’re on by its
original name.
For example in DTLA you would use Yaangna
and in Boyle Heights/East LA you would use
Apachiagna as the land name and Tongva as
the original stewards of these lands.
• Include the original name of the land in theevent or organization’s address such as 100
East 1st Street, Los Angeles (Yaangna), CA90012• For large festivals or community events ask the original stewards of the land if they
can open the event with a blessing. Ask them
far in advance (like now) and set aside astipend for their time. If needed arrange forsomeone to pick them up.

meztli projects

For organizers (events, meetings, etc.)• Build actual relations with the original
stewards by working with them to see how
their perspectives fit into your work.
• You might not always get an answer (peopleare busy). Do not take offense but you should
always ask for their participation.
• If possible ask in person. It is customary tooffer an elder a gift when requesting theirparticipation. Elders have real life needs, ask
if they need anything specific such as coffee,tea, etc.
• Include Native artists in your programs.
Indigenous Peoples are also land use experts,artists, conflict resolution experts, etc.
• For panels and similar talks if you can’t finda Native person to participate, I would suggest
findings ways to represent them.

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For participants (attendee, artist, etc)
• Ask the organizers how they plan to
acknowledge the original people and land.
• If there is no planned acknowledgmentplease request they do so.
• If the organizers refuse to do anacknowledgment please consider withdrawing
your participation.

For more resources on land acknowledgmentplease visit:www.bit.ly/NtvLand or email: info@meztli.com

meztli projects (operating out of Tongva land)