Field Museum

USA Is Native Land.

The first step in developing a land acknowledgment is doing your own research to figure out what areas Native American communities consider as part of their ancestral homelands.  1.) Circle the area that your school is in using YELLOW. 2.) Using a different color, circle an area that you want to visit. 3.) Go to the interactive version of this map (Link is under "Additional Resources"). 4.) Search both your area and the area you want to visit.  5.) Return to your map and add a list of the tribes in each area.  When you’ve finished, consider: Is using the internet enough to make a meaningful land acknowledgment?  What other sources of information might be useful? What is the next step?  What information does the interactive map provide for the next steps in developing a meaningful land acknowledgment?

First Step:  Who was here first?

Interactive map that shows Chicago’s American Indian population and the land acknowledgments by organizations that work with the American Indian community of Chicago.1.) Click on the red squares to read different land acknowledgements from organizations across Chicago; make sure to watch the video! 2.) What geographic features are mentioned in the land acknowledgements and video? 3.) Does anything about the population map surprise you? Map Credit:  UIC IRRPP

Chicago is Native Land.

Compare these two land acknowledgments. One is the Field Museum's land acknowledgment, which was developed with the help of Native American staff. The other is a land acknowledgment created entirely by Native American curators, Nina Sanders- Apsáalooke (Crow) and Meranda Roberts- Northern Paiute and Xicanx, who were the primary developers for the Apsáalooke Women and Warriors exhibition  1.) Highlight parts that are similar in GREEN. 2.) Highlight parts that stand out to you, or raise questions for you, in YELLOW. 3.) Create a text box to brainstorm institutions that should consider a land acknowledgment and key components you would include in a land acknowledgment.

The Field Museum is on Native Land. 

Explore what a land acknowledgment is and why they are important.

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Whose Land Are You On?

USA Is Native Land.

Chicago is Native Land.

The Field Museum is on Native Land.

First Step: Who was here first?