Land Acknowledgment Statement
Trinity Lutheran Church acknowledges that it is located on the original and ancestral homelands of the Menominee peoples, and we give thanks for their presence here since time immemorial. We also wish to recognize and honor all our Indigenous siblings who have and continue to call this land their home. We act as responsible citizens and guests on the land, respect its gifts, and seek to utilize these carefully while sustaining them as much as possible.
What is this statement? The most important aspect of a land acknowledgment is that it is an attitude. Growing from our Christian principle of stewarding creation, and reflecting how Indigenous people have interacted with the land for centuries, the attitude of Trinity’s statement is that we are a part(ner) of the natural world in a reciprocal relationship. As we consume, we fortify the resources offered. This stands against the doctrines of domination of colonists and many parts of our society today that view the land as solely a source of resources to be exploited. A land acknowledgment is a call to reenter the partnership relationship and work in concert with our Indigenous siblings as responsible citizens of the land. Land acknowledgments recognize the history of how the lands we occupy were the ancestral home of displaced tribes. Rather than dwell on this, however, the acknowledgments are meant to energize and focus efforts to be responsible guests on the land. Again, this carries out our Christian calling to care for the creation God has entrusted to us.