St. Louis Public Library would like to acknowledge the ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands of the Osage, Kaskaskia, Kiikaapoi and other tribes where we are learning and working today. We honor with gratitude the Indigenous peoples past and present who show us, through their strength and resilience, our great responsibility as stewards of the land. We appreciate the vast and often unrecognized contributions of Indigenous people and are conscious of their ongoing experiences of inequality.
In offering this land acknowledgment, we acknowledge all Native peoples who came before us and continue contributing to our city. We are committed to promoting Native cultural heritage.
What is a Land Acknowledgment statement?
“A Land Acknowledgement is a formal statement that recognizes Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories.” (Northwestern University Native American and Indigenous Initiatives)
Why do we recognize the land?
Recognizing the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory we reside on and a way of honoring the Indigenous people, who have been living and working on the land.
