Land Acknowledgement

The Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment recognizes that the land that we work on is the traditional and ancestral homeland of the Daḳota people and other indigenous nations. The name Minnesota comes from the Daḳota name for this region, Mni Sóta Maḳoce — "the land where the waters reflect the clouds." The Daḳota and numerous other Indigenous peoples, whose cultural, spiritual, and economic practices are intrinsically woven into this landscape, hold this land sacred. We recognize them as original stewards of this land and all the relatives within it, who had thriving and vibrant communities prior to disruption by settlers. As an organization that provides services and support to immigrants and refugees who are resettling in Minnesota, we acknowledge that the land we are resettling on is stolen land, whose people were forcibly and violently removed by colonizers. By offering this land acknowledgement, we affirm tribal sovereignty and hold ourselves accountable to recognize and counter the historical and contemporary injustices that continue to impact Indigenous people, through mutually beneficial partnerships, research, policies, and practices that respect Indigeneity. We hold ourselves accountable to reduce the harm and erasure of indigenous nations through respect for the land and culture, transparency in conversations about immigrant history, and ongoing education and advocacy on the injustices that Indigenous folks continue to experience.