“Indigenous peoples suffer from injustice and treaty violations, leaving broken promises; poor health; limited resources and land; high rates of alcoholism, drug use and suicide. Acknowledging and committing to make a difference … is critical to the future of Indigenous existence, and we are all a part of it.” –Trenny Birch
Land approval is becoming a reality.
This custom dates back centuries. But Denver kicked things off last year in response to growing calls for all institutions to publicly recognize that this land wasn’t really made for you or me. did. Unless you’re part of an indigenous people who have controlled this land for thousands of years.
Restating this irrefutable fact at the start of public gatherings was seen as a step towards creating a more equitable society. have been most responsive to Nearly all performances now begin with a terribly awkward (and usually white) person listing a roster of exiled tribes as follows: Forceful, perfunctory, and not entirely sincere.
“We acknowledge that we stand in the ancestral land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute and Lakota. Please… taking pictures deserves the death penalty.”
Box checked.
It’s early 2022. Land approval is rapidly becoming more than that.
At the opening of the CinemaQ Film Festival last week, Social Justice organizer Mimi Madrid announced that Colorado would finally drop a state proclamation that until last year called for and encouraged the killing of Native Americans in Colorado. At Biome, a new local art biennale, co-founder Ricardo Vaca is dedicated to helping at least 150 peaceful Arapaho and Cheyenne victims of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre. provoked genocide. Disability Affirming Family Theater Before his performance, the opening of the “Rocky Horror Show” that his company is presenting, Artistic Director Ben Hernan was forcibly brought to this land and asked if he would He thanked all who were enslaved against the
These days, acknowledgment of these lands has become a much more concrete and visceral statement, increasingly conveyed by speakers who share lineages returning to forcibly displaced tribes. , creating more urgent and authentic moments that lead to deeper dialogue, education and understanding.
And often they are simple to see. Some recently received a standing ovation.
“It’s essential to note that the practice of declaring land grants is not alone.” It is an exercise in elevating the real histories and stories that have been abused, neglected and generally marginalized from our educational system.” They should be used in tandem, she added.
Birch and Madrid are co-founders of Fortaleza Familia, a wellness center serving Latino queer, transgender and two-spirited youth. Fortaleza Familia is a term that describes a long history of sexual and gender diversity in indigenous cultures.
Almost all land grants formally recognize that the land now called Denver was unjustly taken from various indigenous peoples prior to Western colonization. We are quickly starting to see opportunities for more impact with acknowledgments. For example, Birch’s statement includes:
“I know that all tribal states have been subject to genocide through genocide, theft of natural resources, manipulation of food systems, desecration of sacred sites, theft of children, forced assimilation by the U.S. government’s boarding school system, etc. I would like to acknowledge the legacy of Fort Lewis College and Grand Junction Indian Boarding School.”
Efforts are underway to identify students who died while attending the Grand Junction Indian Boarding School (pictured above in 1900).
If you don’t know what she’s talking about, ask. Native finds that a school was opened at Grand Junction in 1887 to forcibly assimilate her American children. If those students spoke their native language, they would be beaten. If they escape, they will be cornered with their belongings. At least 20 children are believed to be buried under circumstances that are still unknown.
Carlos Fresquez, a renowned artist and professor at Metropolitan State University, is shown above painting his “Un Abrazo” mural in a meadow.
Prairie: Using art as a message
Baca is the founder of Grasslands, a journalism-oriented content marketing agency deeply rooted in local culture, history and artistic creation. Baca and Jason Diminich launched ‘Biome: A Queen City Biennial’ to celebrate fine art through community, inclusivity and exhibition.
The land approval that Baka read about in a recent biome event begins with an undeniable historical fact. The Cheyenne, Ute, Arapaho, and other peaceful members of the indigenous peoples—hunter-gatherers, farmers, and traders—were displaced by white settlers in the 1850s. And in the 60’s.
“And some of the settlers were American soldiers who in 1864 brutally surprised and killed at least 150 peaceful Arapaho and Cheyenne people on a reservation 180 miles southeast of Denver,” Baka said. stated in the land approval. And since these tribes were in peace talks with white authorities at the time, they had good reason to believe they were under U.S. protection, a congressional committee later discovered. A massacre ensued, and the entire nation was eventually relocated from Colorado.
Land approval doesn’t mean many of you aren’t ignorant of the story behind the land. It’s contained in the mural that greets you as you enter the Grasslands at 100 Santa Fe Drive.
Carlos Fresquez’s original commissioned work “Un Abrazo” was commissioned by Denver’s Grassland Agency.
“We offer this important education and gentle homage in pictorial form,” Baka said. Renowned artist and Metropolitan State University professor Carlos Fresquez calls his own mural “The Wall with the Tongue.” It speaks to everyone.
Baka calls murals essentially “visual land acknowledgments.” This is a horizontal painting based on a Cheyenne Serape design that lines the former bar at the watering hole called Orlie’s. The painting “embraces all who set foot on the steppe through the education of the first inhabitants of this land,” says Baka.
The disability-affirming Family Theater Company makes a “statement of grounds” before every performance of The Rocky Horror Show at Denver’s Sioux Teatro Performing Arts Center. Matty Umbriaco, above, stars as Frank and Furter.
Family: Meaning is Mission
At Phamaly Theater Company, the committee began work on a land authorization statement two years ago and is back with a larger one that incorporates the company’s overall mission. “I read it before every performance, but before everything including rehearsals and board meetings,” said Managing Her Director Sasha Hutchings. She calls it a “foundational statement,” but it’s just one component of the company’s larger anti-racism work.
Among other things, Famalee’s statement recognizes enslaved, disenfranchised and marginalized peoples – “all those who have been denied their rights and who have fought to restore their rights”. But most importantly, it connects the dots between the forced displacement of indigenous peoples and the raison d’etre of Famalee as a place to live for artists with disabilities.
“We recognize those who created Famaree as a place where humans of all identities can work to advance our shared humanity,” the statement said. This further confirms the company’s commitment to honor its founders by always acting from the standpoint of “respect, courage, boldness, curiosity and love”.
Hutchings says it’s not meant to instill shame or guilt in anyone who listens or reads it.
“The way I see it, this is our history – for better or for worse or uglier – we have to create a space that continually acknowledges that in making art. It creates a space to confront the uncomfortable,” she added.
If the approval of any company’s land is viewed merely as a gesture of execution, none of the papers in which it is written are worthless.
“But it’s not performance,” Hutchings said. “this is us.”
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