Land acknowledgements: Useful but insufficient step, performative liberal bullshit, both, other?

Had this debate with friends at dinner last night. Two of my friends were on the “performative bullshit” side, I was more on the “it’s worth saying, but doesn’t mean much on its own” side. I’ve read a lot of indigenous perspectives on it, which are also fairly divided.

I gather the practice of land acknowledgments kind of took hold in Australia and Canada as part of broader reconciliation efforts, so would be interested to hear thoughts from those places for sure. I definitely see how (like a lot of DEI stuff e.g.) it can be diluted into dumb bureaucratic pap. But I also can see value in it if done thoughtfully (and accurately, a big problem) and connected to identified goals or actions depending on the institution involved.

Reservation Dogs sharp on it as expected

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8UpKVImNcU

I don't have a take but would like to hear ppl's opinions. An Ernst Lubitsch podcast I listen to does this as the end of every episode and considering the frothy content it's always v jarring (this could be good or bad).

Usually comes across performative, but I'm not indigenous so I don't have the credentials to lean into the cynicism and get worked up about it.

I'm Lakota and I think they are generally stupid. The only one I heard recently that I liked was at UCLA where my kid did a summer program, they actually had tribal members present to do the acknowledgement and speak before the final ceremony. But I don't care if blonde Debbie McMartin stands up before a meeting to acknowledge that they do all their marketing work on Mi'kmaq land. so what. you aren't in a position to give the land back Debbie. Just go vote for people who will support native rights and sovereignty.

I should think that after multiple centuries of genocide it's probably nice to hear somebody say they're sorry about that, depending on whether the statement carries a discernible amount of conviction and sincerity. As restorative justice goes, it's only a baby step in the right direction and baby steps by their nature are small, weak and wobbly. It will only mean something more than that when something more than that is visible without a microscope.

(xp -I'm not indigenous so I'll defer to akm.)

Generally performative, ranging from REI leading off their union-busting podcast with one to well-meaning but toothless.

Title cards with pre-recorded acknowledgements are insufficient imo... they only draw attention to the fact that "this organisation did not hire somebody qualified to do this acknowledgement irl". Seeing qualified individuals do proper acknowledgements before a performance is very, very effective, ime

Like Facebook groups asking you to "Fill in the blank: ___ Lives Matter" before you're allowed to join, these tiny gestures of solidarity are probably worth doing just because of how badly they upset a certain type of self-centered asshole who is always demanding that people "stop making everything political"

One potentially valuable thing I see about it, or get from it, is just a tiny bit of undermining of the American clean slate/manifest destiny mythology. One big difference I've seen between Mexico and the U.S. is in Mexico — especially in the Oaxaca region where we've spent time — the archaeological legacies and strong ongoing presence of Mixtecs, Zapotecs, etc. are just much more obvious and visible. You can't live there without some constant level of awareness that this is long-occupied land. Whereas in most of the U.S. outside New Mexico, Oklahoma, a few other Western states, the archaeological remnants are much less visible and so are native people in general.

So as weak as a land acknowledgment can be, it still represents more of an awareness of pre-Columbian people than your average American is going to encounter in a given month. (Apart from place names, but I don't know to what degree people really think about those.) Whether that translates into anything more than literal name-dropping, of course, is a whole other thing.

Does seem pretty performative and not really meaningful. I;ve seen too many pisstakes of it thta seem more genuine.
It may be good to give people a moment to question the previous prevalent understanding the whole terra nullius or the natives weren't using it properly bit which was utter BS natives actually heavily shaped the places they lived. The whole Roosevelt natives be removed from National Parks because they are not part of the environment etc etc is so much BS too,

Not sure what has been said on Native American webinars in terms of that. Think iit is viewed partially cynically .

But did seem like a step in the right direction at the time. Just also has a heavy sense of white liberal white saviourism mindset.

As does the local Theatre For Change's contribution to tomorrow night's Culture Night. Raising people's awareness to a point that surely anybody who was likely to have recognition arrived at years ago. Ho hum.

& white saviourism is a form of racism. It's also really patronising.

Yeah. My understanding (happy to be corrected) is that land acknowledgments arose from indigenous groups themselves in Australia and Canada. But of course as things get adopted and mainstreamed it's easy to lose connection with what they were supposed to do and just become box-checking. (Again, like so much corporate Pride/DEI stuff.)

On the other hand, I just read an article about the (very small) native student population at Vanderbilt University, and their assorted allies, being angry that the university president won't adopt a land acknowledgment statement for the school. So maybe one benchmark for adopting one would be, are native groups/people advocating for it?

Nate Silver somehow thinks they are an example of how progressives have become less liberal?

"However, I have also become more estranged from what you might call the progressive political class over the past several years. One reason is that this class has rapidly become more left and less liberal — compare the Democratic presidential platforms of 2020, which began with a land acknowledgment, with Obama’s in 2012, which began by talking about the American Dream."

Yeah, I'd say: if it comes from natives = classic
If it comes from non-native wanna-be do-gooders = probably dud

There are ways to acknowledge the terror of colonialism and land-grabs without making yourself the star of the show

When it's delivered by non-indigenous & the likelihood of indigenous receiving the acknowledgement feels especially low, that's a recipe for it being at risk of feeling performative. Seems like in general there are many variables that affect it's value/impact case by case so it's tough to frame it definitively overall.

Seems to me that there is some value in non-indigenous (i.e. white) people doing some of the work of raising this issue to other white people, whether or not it is done in the presence of indigenous people.

I was just referring to that as a factor that might emphasize the performative perception. A conceited white people congratulating each other sort of feeling.

That was the angle my friends were attacking it from, that it's just about making white people feel better without committing to any actual action. Which I get and can obviously be the case — but also I wonder about the potential value of it reaching somebody, stirring some kind of recognition or interest in learning or doing more. Maybe naive to think, but I guess you never know what happens to ideas once you turn them loose.

Someone here in Oakland spray paints "Ohlone Land!" all over town, and while I generally find random graffiti annoying, this one doesn't bother me.. maybe someone will see it and actually consider if for a moment

Reminds me of when someone wants to show their support to a worthy cause on instagram, they write a perfectly commendable post but the accompanying image is just a selfie of them making a "serious" face.

OxFam had a thing awhile ago that said something like "Every time you 'like' one of our social media posts, you've contributed absolutely nothing to our mission'

haven’t fully recovered since hearing someone deliver a land acknowledgment at Cannes to the Oxybii, the Celto-Ligurian tribe from the area who were colonized by Rome

— Adam Piron (@adam_piron) May 20, 2023

sort of the reductio ad absurdum of the hollow ritual (vs akm's example of acknowledging and making space for actual living people)

performative but still at this point kinda required in Canada because they're so ubiquitous here that if they're not done, it'll be noticed

Fully in favour of renaming Scotland Alba btw.

Pict Nation

"However, I have also become more estranged from what you might call the progressive political class over the past several years. One reason is that this class has rapidly become more left and less liberal — compare the Democratic presidential platforms of 2020, which began with a land acknowledgment, with Obama’s in 2012, which began by talking about the American Dream."

Wow, hadn't seen that quote from Silver before. Looks like we get to watch another slowish slide to the far right with an eventual, "I had no choice but to more further right because you were too woke and alienated me" full heel turn. He's not there yet, but that quote right there is a signpost along the path.

As to the topic itself, the place I work is doing a big land acknowledgment thing for Indigenous Peoples' Day and the way it has been handled, the way it's been shepherded through by all white administration ("but we hired a native artist for the sign!") and the way they are making a whole EVENT out of it with press and all is gross and so performative. I'd have preferred it if they just quietly put up the sign without all the press and performative ado, but no one asked me.

100% standard up here in schools: land acknowledgement, then anthem.

If you could move from Land acknowledgment to looking into Land Back and related policy/ideology it might be a more concrete move.
BUt yeah fear is that this just becomes an empty ritual by rote performance/habit and loses any contact with any potential change it ought to signify

Unsurprisingly I have seen it weaponized to evade criticism of gentrification/ displacement of other racial minority groups

First time I heard it over the intercom of our domestic flight: “Wow, good stuff!”

10th time I heard it over the intercom of our domestic flight: “…….”

I think it still has some power (however small) when done by public or non-profit institutions. When performed by big business it just feels like the epitome of “our m&m’s are now gay! But still made with slave labour”, using social justice to make the company look good for the sake of profits, as opposed to, you know…

When it includes words such as "thank" or "gratitude," dud. Land acknowledgements are about acknowledging that the land was stolen and that this is shameful. It's not "hey thanks for the land, guys!" You can't steal something and then say thank you for it.

lol otm

I am in Australia - it is not uncommon for punk/diy shows to feature some kind of acknowledgment - usual wording is always was and always will be Aboriginal land, sovereignty was never ceded - I dunno, from my settler perspective I agree that the milquetoast corporate version of these can be naff and rote - but I do think the practice has contributed to a more widespread consciousness re the continuing realities of colonisation - and probably, as is the way of things, encouraged racists and assholes to dig deeper into their entrenched opposition to acknowledging this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlG17C19nYo

I'm with emsworth. "always was and always will be Aboriginal land" is a great one and I cant hear it enough, especially shouted loud, but when a room full of middle aged white men and women drone "and we'd like to acknowledge the traditional owners of Nuggunwal land and pay my respects to their Elders past and present and emerging" and they say it in such a ROTE and RUSHED manner it makes my skin crawl because you know they ticking a box.

Urh I mispelled Ngunnawal.

Nate Silver needs to be pelted with rotten eggs in a public square.

70% rotten

don't get shitting on The American Dream. we wouldn't even be here debating right now if not for the vision of one immigrant: Mr Ernesto Internet

thanks Trayce and ems for the international context!

Someone here in Oakland spray paints "Ohlone Land!" all over town, and while I generally find random graffiti annoying, this one doesn't bother me.. maybe someone will see it and actually consider if for a moment

― Andy the Grasshopper, Thursday, September 21, 2023 12:58 PM (two days ago)

oh yeah ... there's also the banners, not sure if it's the same person(s) ... there is also factionalism that seems present in just about every political issue here.

new slogan: Oakland, We Can Never Just Get Along But the Weather's Nice

Just learned that Rio Tinto, one of the world's largest mining conglomerates, starts quarterly earnings calls with a land acknowledgement pic.twitter.com/Bsqm8VROlc

— Kate Aronoff (@KateAronoff) September 10, 2024