*Note: These statements are works in progress as I do more research and collaborate to better understand the histories of my three homelands. If you notice an error or misrepresentation, please reach out to me so that I may correct it.
Thank you for your time in reading this,
Jen Barker
Land Acknowledgments:
Preface:
I am a settler on stolen land, born to settlers, who were born to settlers, who were born to settlers, who were born to enslavers, who were born to colonizers. I have no true homeland as I am the daughter of many homelands. I must acknowledge the violence of my ancestors that wrought me and enabled me to live with the privileges I have. I cannot undo the past, but I can do work to end cycles of systemic oppression that my ancestors directly created and supported. To that end, I have three acknowledgements to make…
To the land I now live and work in, Roseville, Michigan (this statement is an adaptation of the land acknowledgment written in collaboration between Wayne State University and many Indigenous representatives from several tribes):
This area rests on Waawiyaataanong, also referred to as Detroit, the ancestral and contemporary homeland of the Three Fires Confederacy. These sovereign lands were granted by the Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi, and Wyandot nations, in 1807, through the Treaty of Detroit. I seek to affirm Indigenous sovereignty and honor all tribes with a connection to Detroit. With our Native neighbors, we can advance equity and promote a better future for the earth and all people.
To the land where I spent my childhood, known as Running Springs, California (this statement is an adaptation of the land acknowledgement from San Bernadino Valley College):
I acknowledge that the land on which my childhood home is sited is the ancestral and unceded territory of the Maara’yam, commonly referred to as the Serrano People. Our histories and stories are intertwined in this space, and by sharing them in culturally appropriate ways, I commit to honor, celebrate, and provide awareness of our Indigenous neighbors and partners.
Finally, to the land where I was born and raised, known as Houston, Texas (this statement was written by the Karankawa Kadla people):
We recognize the enduring relationship and intimate connection that exists between indigenous peoples and their ancestral lands and waters. The region from Galveston, Texas to Corpus Christi, Texas are the ancestral and current homelands of the Karankawa, Lipan Apache, Ishak (also known as Atakapa), Cotoname, and other tribal and detribalized peoples from before recorded history to the present day. We express gratitude to these peoples who have stewarded these lands and waters since the beginning of time. It is because of these indigenous caretaker stewards that we can gather here today, and we acknowledge this land we stand upon as sacred, historical, and significant to the Karankawa Kadla peoples and relatives. We invite all to learn the true history of the lands on which we reside, and we ask that you treat these lands and waters with dignity and respect, as you would your own relative.
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