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November is Native American Heritage Month. The following excerpt and activity are from Voices: An Ethnic Studies Survey.
Land acknowledgments provide opportunities for people to identify the Indigenous group(s) on whose land they are on.
For example, during Deb Haaland’s 2021 confirmation hearing as Secretary of the Interior in Washington, DC, she acknowledged to the crowd that they sat on the ancestral lands of the Nakotchtank (Anacostan) and Piscataway peoples.
“… only by acknowledging the past can we work toward a future that we’re all proud to embrace.” —Secretary Haaland
Many people appreciate these actions as steps toward awareness, but others feel it is not enough, equating it with apologizing for something without changing one’s actions.
What other ways can someone support the Indigenous peoples on whose lands they live? Download a free lesson plan to explore this question with your students.
Voices: An Ethnic Studies Survey
Voices is an ethnic studies resource that examines the experiences and contributions of Indigenous, Black, Latino, Pacific Islander, and Asian Americans. Students will learn the terms and tools they need to analyze the impacts of race and ethnicity in US history and the present day.
