At its May 17 meeting, the Golden Valley City Council approved language for a City Land Acknowledgment Statement, developed by the City's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission. The purpose of the statement is to engage community members in conversations about land and indigenous ancestry and provide information and resources.
What is the indigenous history of the land Golden Valley occupies? The City's Land Acknowledgment Statement recognizes that the history of our city started before any settlers came to live here, the decimation and trauma the Native American civilization experienced with the arrival of the Europeans that settled America, and the need to uplift cultural differences within the community.
To achieve this, the DEIC plans to coordinate programs and events that highlight the City's indigenous population and culture. Watch for more information on the City website and in upcoming publications.
Land Acknowledgment Statement
We acknowledge and honor the Dakota Peoples, on whose ancestral lands the City of Golden Valley is built, and whose land resources we use.
We reflect on the forced exile and the sanctioned dispossession of the Dakota Peoples, due to actions by the government, traders, and land speculators, leading to the Land Cession 289 and the 1851 Treaty of Traverse des Sioux. We further recognize the injustices done by actions taken to suppress, over the following many decades, the Dakota Peoples' knowledge and observance of their cultural and spiritual heritage.
We further acknowledge, honor, and respect their continuing existence as part of the four Federally-recognized and sovereign Dakota bands who live among us here in Minnesota today.
We hold ourselves accountable to recognize and counter the historical and contemporary injustices that continue to impact Indigenous people. We plan to do this by counteracting the erasure of the cultural practices and presence of the Dakota Peoples through education and by amplifying a wide range of indigenous voices.
For more information, visit the Land Acknowledgement page on the City website.
(image credit: Why Treaties Matter)