Why Offer a Land Acknowledgement?
In our pursuit of equity, we must begin by acknowledging the truth of the land which has generated so much wealth and resources at the expense of Indigenous people. The land we currently live and work on originally was and continues to be the homelands of Indigenous people. We currently enjoy access to this land because the land was ceded (territory relinquished) in a nation-to-nation treaty process between the Anishinaabe and the United States government.
Native nations are sovereign governments with Tribal citizens who reside within those nations’ unceded territory and also on ceded territory, which coincide with Northland Foundation’s service area. By recognizing Native American homelands, we accept our shared history and make a commitment to shape our ongoing relationships with justice and reconciliation as our guiding values.
We hope visitors to this website will honor the land as the original homelands of Native Peoples and all of us will work to learn the history of Native nations, the treaties, and historic events that led to the relinquishing of the land, as well as about the current Indigenous communities.
History of Treaties & Ceded Territories
Treaties were not a transparent or evenly balanced process, to the detriment of Native nations. Modern inequities for Indigenous communities are rooted in the treaty process and the ensuing federal policies that focused on Native nations and Indigenous peoples. At the same time, the treaties carry a built-in truth that Native nations are sovereign nations, with a distinct political status. Learn more about the history and details of these treaties made between sovereign nations in this geographic region:
