Land Acknowledgement
We Begin Together with Recognition and Respect
Southern Oregon Regional Educator Network
Advisory Team – Established on December 18, 2019
Every community owes its existence and vitality to generations from around the world who contributed their hopes, dreams, and energy to making the history that led to this moment. Some were brought here against their will, some were drawn to leave their distant homes in hope of a better life, and some have lived on this land for more generations than can be counted. Truth and acknowledgment are critical to building mutual respect and connection across all barriers of heritage and difference.
We begin this effort to acknowledge what has been buried by honoring the truth. In a place claimed and now known as Southern Oregon, we stand on the ancestral lands of many Indigenous communities and live near four sovereign nations including the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians; the Klamath Tribes; the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw; and the Coquille Indian Tribe.
We pay respects to their elders past and present. Please take a moment to consider the many legacies of violence, displacement, migration, and settlement that bring us together here today. Inspired by the words of one of our members, our work will be dedicated to social justice, peace, and love.
We will elevate the human spirit to engage with respect and courage, invite diverse perspectives, seek to understand, honor individual identity, heal communities, see strengths, celebrate gifts of culture, and inform our decisions based on the lessons provided by the 7 generations that came before us while holding, in our hearts and minds, the 7 generations that will come after us.”
Land Acknowledgement created for SOREN by Dr. Heidi Olivadoti in collaboration with Teresa Cisneros and Dr. Shadiin Garcia (December 18, 2019)
References: Honor Native Land: A Guide and Call to Acknowledgment, Tribes Map of Oregon