This land acknowledgement can be used by SNAHC or other organizations in Sacramento County that wish to provide a culturally appropriate land acknowledgement during meetings and events.
Land Acknowledgment
The Sacramento Native American Health Center is proud to recognize this land as the unceded and ancestral territory of the Nisenan, and Miwok people. We acknowledge that these Indigenous people have never left their ancestral homelands and continue to be a part of the vibrant Sacramento community. We are honored to continue weaving the legacy of a healthy American Indian/ Alaska Native community based on cultural values delivered through a traditional, innovative, and accessible patient-centered health home for all.
What is the purpose of a land acknowledgment?
A land acknowledgment is a formal statement, a public recognition, of the Indigenous Peoples who have been dispossessed and displaced from their ancestral homelands and territories due to a variety of colonial and historical reasons. This statement acknowledges that an organization, a city, a park, or any other structure was built, and operates, on Indigenous Peoples’ ancestral homelands.
Why a Land Acknowledgment?
Today, we recognize that change can only occur in the context of truthfulness, transparency, and reconciliation around systems that have oppressed and excluded Indigenous people. We believe that education can shift historically oppressive practices to build a more inclusive and socially conscious community and society. One of the steps in this process includes asking our partners, supporters and allies to include an Indigenous Peoples land acknowledgment at every opportunity. This statement recognizes that Sacramento is the ancestral homeland of the Nisenan, Maidu, Miwok and Me-Wuk peoples, who are the Indigenous Peoples of this land, and have lived here since time immemorial.
Land acknowledgments are not about placing blame. These statements are the first step towards building a more inclusive future where we eliminate the ongoing erasure of Indigenous Peoples’ voices, lives, and history. Land acknowledgments can be an entry point and pathway for education. Our land acknowledgment statement may be your first experience hearing about the Indigenous Peoples in the area, which provides an opportunity to seed the path for learning and for respect to blossom and grow.
More Resources About Land Acknowledgments:
Guide to Indigenous Land and Territorial Acknowledgements for Cultural Institutions
Why Land Acknowledgments Matter