The Metropolitan Council has adopted a Land, Water, and People Acknowledgement written by its American Indian Advisory Council. The statement acknowledges that the seven-county metro is the ancestral homeland of the Dakota Oyate (people) and that they are present and active contributors to our thriving region. The statement also describes the significance of this region to the Dakota Oyate and the damage done by settler-colonial policies. It refers to the commitments and actions the Advisory Council recommended – and the Met Council incorporated into Imagine 2050, the regional development guide – to address the legacy of genocide and displacement of American Indians. At the March 12 Met Council meeting, Met Council Chair Charlie Zelle remarked that he has had some skepticism about land acknowledgements and their sometimes-performative nature. However, the power of the Advisory Council and the collaborative, very deliberate process of developing the commitments and actions helped ease his concerns, he said. “Words do matter, especially if they are backed up by actions and commitments,” Zelle said. The commitments cover the Met Council’s relationships with Tribal Nations and American Indian communities, as well as our regional policies on water, housing, transportation, and other areas. Robert Lilligren, White Earth Ojibwe and Met Council member said, “Now we can go back to not just the Advisory Council, but to the community as well, and say, ‘We heard you, we’re taking action. We’re doing what you asked us to do.’ That is so fundamental to the relationship building and the trust building that is really necessary with all of our communities, of course, and with this community in particular.” Short statement will be read at Met Council meetings In March, the Met Council adopted a set of procedures for how the acknowledgement will be used, also recommended by the Advisory Council. The short statement will be: Read at the start of all Met Council business meetings and Committee of the Whole meetings. Chairs of the Met Council’s standing committees can read the statement at the beginning of meetings, as can chairs of other Met Council committees and leaders of public meetings at their discretion. Included in written form on web pages that post agendas for Met Council and Met Council committee meetings. Included in official plans of the Met Council. Included in new employee and Council Member onboarding and orientation and all employee continuing education. Adapted for use at Met Council buildings and facilities. The longer statement will be: Included on a new Met Council webpage about American Indian communities and Tribal relations. Used where recognition or moments of reflection are appropriate and needed, and in organizational education. Included as part of educational resources for employees, residents, and local governments. Read the short and long versions of the statement. Land acknowledgment also recognizes sovereignty of Tribal Nations The Advisory Council drafted and introduced the land acknowledgement to the Met Council last fall. Allison Waukau, the Met Council’s Tribal Liaison and Native Communities Coordinator, said that the land acknowledgement is a way to create visibility for the American Indians that reside in the region. “When the Native community moves forward, all of us move forward,” said Waukau. She pointed out that Tribal Nations have treaties with the U.S. and are sovereign nations, and “that makes us different. To acknowledge that is a way the Met Council is being respectful to that relationship.” Waukau also said the Advisory Council expects that this acknowledgment is a living document and can be revisited over time. Posted In: Council News