I have been listening to a wonderful history audio book over the past few months entitled Human Prehistory and the First Civilizations by Brian Fagan from The Great Courses (available on Audible).
I am in total awe of our global and human evolutionary process.
Here is a refresher:
Our planet is estimated to be 4.543 BILLION years old.
Hominins (a primate of a taxonomic tribe ‘Hominini’, which comprises those species regarded as human, directly ancestral to humans, or very closely related to humans) are 7 MILLION years old.
Humans in our “modern” form are 200,000 years old.
Wrapping my mind around these numbers is impossible. As quantum as I would like to believe I am, it is so difficlut to compute the vastness of time. What I can do as a ritualist and animist, however, is to honor the journey of evolution that our great Earth and ancestral bodies have taken to arrive at this point. The oceans have changed, land masses have split apart, and ice has covered the Earth off and on during this epic journey. Animal species have come and gone, and the flora and fauna that we are currently living with is a whole new incarnation of nature that never existed before.
Acknowledging this great macrocosm expands our awareness and reminds us of just how tranformative the Earth truly is.
Shifting our focus to the microcosm of our individual locations, it is vital to to appreciate the human ancestors who stewarded the land before us. This is where land acknowledgement becomes a ritual practice that weaves gratitude, humility, reciprocity, and reparations into our responsibility as justice oriented ritualists.
“The story of my people and the story of this place are one single story. No man can think of us without also thinking of this place. We are always joined together.”
~ Taos Pueblo Elder
questions for reflection
Identify the indigenous peoples whose land you are residing on or visiting. You can use this MAP to help you identify who they are.
Drop into a quiet and present space. What heart felt prayer comes to you to acknowledge the people of the land? What can you say to those to honor their memory and legacy?
Are there more layers you can add to your land acknowledgement? Are there spirits of the land that you feel connected to? Elementals? Weave them into your prayer and see how it feels to you.
Practice your prayer. Whether indoors our outside your intentions will be received. Allow your prayer to change and shift over time…let it evolve.
* As a side note: land acknowledgement can be incorporated into any space in which you introduce yourself. For example, “My name is Jen Hudziec and I reside on the unceded territory of the Abenaki peoples.” This statement is a show of respect for those who came before and acknowledges that the land was commodified and stolen. It acknowledges that I am a beneficiary of this stolen land and am naming it. Cultural sensitivity and acts of repair begin to take root when we become aware of how we have benefited from past aggressions.
“Any ritual is an opportunity for transformation.”
~ Starhawk
Ritual Invitation
Create the time & space to bring regular ritual into your life using this PDF as guidepost.
~ guided meditation ~
resource reading
If you would like to know more about land acknowledgment, check out the article below. It is a conversation that considers multiple perspectives about public land acknowledgement and is a thoughtful read.
* Provided by the Syracuse Cultural Workers website
