JACKSON, Wyo. — The Jackson Town Council voted unanimously to incorporate a land acknowledgment into town meetings going forward, part of a renewed commitment to strengthening the town’s relationship with indigenous Tribes in the region.
The new measure mentions the Nimi’ (Bannock), Niitsitapi (Blackfeet), Apsáalooke (Crow), Newe (Eastern Shoshone), Aaniiih (Gros Ventre), Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) and Hinono’eino (Northern Arapaho) Peoples.
The proposal was presented by the Equity Task Force at Monday’s council meeting. Including a land acknowledgment in meetings is a move intended to recognize “the earliest inhabitants of our area and their living relatives, [which] is one way to build a thread between our government and that of nearby tribal nations,” according to the proposal.
“The same way other parts of Town meetings place emphasis on particular traditions and history, the Land Acknowledgment will regularly draw attention to the Town’s relationship with indigenous tribes.”
Susan Scarlata, the Town of Jackson’s Community Engagement Specialist, presented the idea to the council.
The text of the land acknowledgment reads as follows:
We recognize that the land we are gathering on is the ancestral homeland of the Mountain Shoshone People who stewarded it for thousands of years and that many other tribes also lived upon and cared for this area including the Bannock, Blackfoot, Crow, Eastern Shoshone, Gros Ventre, Nez Perce, Northern Arapaho tribes and others. With gratitude, we honor Indigenous Peoples, past and present. We also acknowledge the sovereignty of the Native nations closest to Jackson whose land was taken through broken treaties that resulted in the creation of the Wind River and Fort Hall Indian Reservations. We recognize this acknowledgement is simply a first step. The Town of Jackson is committed to continued and informed action to connect with indigenous people.
Earlier this year, the Town hosted a workshop led by Cherokee Brown, an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho tribe, about “Mending Relationships.” Monday’s vote also committed to the following continued actions:
- Host two additional “Mending Relationships” workshops with Cherokee Brown for councilmembers and staff.
- Organize a journey for councilmembers, town staff and Task Force members to travel to the Wind River Native Tribal Buffalo Initiative outside of Lander, Wyoming.
- Host Patti Baldes’ Buffalo art on the lawn of Town Hall later this summer and fall.
- Commit to reconsidering and potentially updating Town Land Acknowledgment on a regular basis.
Jackson Mayor Hailey Morton Levinson will read the land acknowledgment at every meeting following the Pledge of Allegiance.
