The Ridge Historical Society
Native Americans and the Blue Island Ridge – Part 1: Introduction
By Carol Flynn
This series on Native Americans and the Ridge evolved from research for a background paper being prepared to assist local organizations in developing “land acknowledgment statements.”
It became evident that what started as a “history paper” could not be quickly or easily addressed. The history of Native Americans is very complex and, like all history, not static – viewpoints and “facts” are always changing as new information is found and old information is reinterpreted.
More importantly, Native Americans are not just part of the past – they are very much part of the present and future of this country.
This series will begin the exploration of some topics related to Native Americans in this area and readers are encouraged to seek out additional information and resources.
In recent years, governments, universities, cultural organizations, churches, and other institutions have begun recognizing the Native American heritage of the land through land acknowledgment statements (LAS). These are formal declarations put out in writing that note the organization is located on land that was once the ancestral grounds of Native Americans.
These statements first started being used in Canada in 2015. They are often read aloud at the beginning of an event. In Canada, they are regularly included at events ranging from parliament sessions to ballet performances to National Hockey League games.
Last year, Chicago-area groups began issuing land acknowledgment statements.
The Field Museum of Natural History, not surprisingly, has a website page devoted to the topic. We will make references to that in our posts.
The Forest Preserves of Cook County also has issued a LAS, which includes the northern tip of the Ridge, located in the Dan Ryan Forest Preserve.
A typical LAS begins, “We acknowledge that the [name of organization] resides within the traditional homelands of [name of Indigenous Peoples].” This is usually followed by additional comments supportive of Native Americans.
Land acknowledgment statements have their issues, of course. One logical question after hearing or reading such a statement is what is the relevance to today? How do we make this statement something useful and meaningful to today’s Native Americans?
In April, RHS was contacted by a representative of the Beverly Unitarian Church who was working on a LAS for that organization. Discussions and research led to a Zoom meeting with John Low, Ph.D., J.D., a professor at Ohio State University, who is an enrolled citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.
In discussing how to make a LAS meaningful, Dr. Low commented that each organization has to look at its situation and determine how best to do that. We agreed that for a small, local organization like RHS, the obvious role is one of education through written materials, programming, etc., to help the community understand the heritage of Native Americans in this area. We will attempt to do that.
Next post: Part 2: Native Americans and the United States