Rochester Area Community Foundation Land Acknowledgement

Rochester Area Community Foundation operates on the ancestral lands of the Haudenosaunee
(hoe-din-oh-SHOW-nee) People. A Confederacy of Nations that includes the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and the Tuscarora and many more that called this place home. We recognize that these lands were stolen through broken treaties, coercion and outright theft. The effects of colonization and dispossession continue to contribute adversely to the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples, environmental degradation, and disconnection.

We express gratitude to the Indigenous people and communities who have stewarded the land for generations and continue to do so today. Indigenous culture, art, agriculture, language, governance, and other forms of wisdom and knowledge are valuable contributions to society. Haudenosaunee values, culture and thought are being celebrated and shared through local efforts at Ganondagan State Historic Site. Ganondagan is a place of peace and provides a platform for community leaders and knowledge keepers to share their understandings of the Haudenosaunee way of life both past and present. We believe the multidimensional story of Indigenous peoples is a living one and commit to action that supports the ongoing creation and telling of this story. Visit www.racf.org/indigenous to join us in supporting and sustaining Indigenous communities in our area.

A GUIDE TO INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Rochester Area Community Foundation is aware that land acknowledgements are an intervention tool to bring to light the patterns of colonization, land theft, and racism that continue to harm Indigenous people. But it is not enough to simply use an intervention, it must also be backed up by real action and investment. We are on a journey to increase our impact for racial diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Foundation understands we have a long way to go in increasing support for Indigenous organizations, but we would like to utilize our platform to create visibility for this critical conversation. We are open to feedback on how we can continue to use the land acknowledgement in a responsible and impactful way.

Here is a helpful guide that we have been utilizing in our understanding of this tool: https://nativegov.org/news/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment/