Land Acknowledgement
Created February 8, 2021
Friends of the Forest Preserves acknowledges that the forest preserves in Cook County are located on the ancestral homelands of the Council of Three Fires, a long-standing Anishinaabe alliance of the Ojibwe (or Chippewa), Ottawa (or Odawa), and Potawatomi North American Native tribes. These lands have also been home and a place of trade for many other tribes, including the Fox, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Meskwaki, Miami, and Sauk people.
For centuries, these Native Americans cared for and protected these lands, until ownership was largely stolen from them by U.S. colonizers. Today, we employ certain land management techniques that follow indigenous practices. However, our forest preserves and our communities would greatly benefit from more intentional application of indigenous knowledge in how we manage and honor our protected areas.
Chicagoland is home to one of the largest and most diverse urban Native American communities in the United States. Community members celebrate, practice, and adapt their heritage and traditions within our modern, urban environment. It is our responsibility to find common cause with community members and support their engagement with the forest preserves.
The Friends community is committed to:
- Intentional inclusion of Native American partners and their voices in our community, through our advocacy and programming work
- Supporting the Forest Preserves of Cook County and partner organizations’ efforts to provide education and engagement opportunities honoring Native American heritage and modern culture
- Advocating for the sound integration of sustainable use and management of the preserves by Native American community members
We ask you to offer gratitude, respect, and support to the many Native American People, including their Ancestors, who consider the lands and water within Cook County sacred. And please join us in carrying on a legacy of respect and active caretaking of our earth – for us and future generations.
To find out how you can give back directly to the Native American community in Chicagoland, visit the American Indian Center of Chicago, aicchicago.org.