MAVA's Land Acknowledgement Statement

MAVA stands in solidarity with this land's indigenous people and honors the sacred lands on which we live, learn and work. The land we call Minnesota includes the ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands of 11 sovereign nations.

We pay homage to those who were here before us on this land, the seven Anishinaabe nations of the Chippewa and Ojibwe and the four Dakota nations.

Along with these 11 tribes, we honor all the indigenous people of this territory, many from tribes, which were never formally recognized by a federal government.

Furthermore, it is important to also acknowledge our black ancestors who were taken from their homeland and brought here involuntarily to build this nation as we know it. Moving forward, our aim is to respect those before us, those among us and conserve and preserve for those who are yet to come.