As we live, work, and worship in the land that is now called the United States, Lutherans Restoring Creation recognizes that we do so on land that was stolen from Indigenous peoples. As we are called to restore creation, we are also called to restore right-relationship with one another. As we join in this holy vocation of loving our neighbor, we honor all our Indigenous siblings who have been companions of the lands, waters, and beings of Turtle Island since time immemorial.
We charge our community to learn about the original and continuous stewards of the land upon which we exist. We lament legacies of violence, cultural genocide, and displacement of Indigenous communities; committing ourselves to hearing and speaking the truth of that history and its on-going effects. May we gather faithfully in mind, body, and spirit so that we may mend what has been broken and embody Christ’s gospel of abundant life.
Acknowledging Indigenous peoples who are the original care-takers of the land which feeds us has the potential to profoundly shift our relationship with the land and with each other. How might you lead your church through a process that opens the door to awakening, acknowledging, reconciliation, and repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery? How does this work intersect and feed your Creation Care Ministries? How can we work together to prevent colonizing frameworks to continue to bias our concepts of progress?
The best place to start your journey is with the ELCA’s Indigenous and Tribal Relations resource page: https://elca.org/Indigenous
For more perspectives, indigenous-led environmental movements, and ways to connect locally, please explore the following resources. Please contact us if you know of more organizations, suggested next steps, or calls to action we should lift up.
Truth, Healing, and Repair
Over the past few years, Creation Justice Ministries has embarked on the Truth and Healing Project to collaborate with Indigenous, environmental, and church leaders. We aim to connect movements addressing historical wrongs with solutions to today's environmental challenges.
Reparations and Land Return: Memorial to the 2022 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Turtle Island
Though regional versions exist, the core of this creation story relates to a time when the planet was covered in water. Different animals all tried to swim to the bottom of the ocean to bring back dirt to create land, but they all failed…
Fall Equinox Edition 2021, “Sacred Relationship” (Vance Blackfox, guest editor) — AllCreation.org
Osiyo Tsunalii. What a gift it has been to think about Sacred Relationships and working with incredible young women to piece together and curate a new story for the readers of AllCreation.org…
Native Land is a resource to learn more about Indigenous territories, languages, lands, and ways of life. We welcome you to our site.
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.8 million members. “God’s work. Our hands.”
2020 Vine Deloria Jr. Theological Symposium — Panel Presentation
In 2013, the Annual American Indian and Alaska Native Symposium at LSTC was renamed in honor of Vine Deloria Jr., an alumnus of Augustana Seminary, Rock Island.
Opinion: Before you state a land acknowledgement, mean it
Graduate research assistant Miranda Black asks us to reflect on the authenticity, purpose, and effectiveness of our land acknowledgements.
USA: Creation care requires Indigenous voices
Her grandmother gave her a Sioux name, Winyan Wakan, meaning Holy Woman. ELCA Rev. Joann Conroy, an Oglala Sioux woman, was 13 years old when she received her Sioux name, years before she accepted the call to enter the ministry.
A guide to Indigenous land acknowledgment — Native Governance Center
After hosting an Indigenous land acknowledgment event, we put together this written guide based on our panelists' responses.
#HonorNativeLand
This video accompanies #HonorNativeLand—a guide and call-to-action to spread the practice of acknowledgment of traditional Native lands at the opening of all public gatherings. Acknowledgment is a simple, powerful way of showing respect and a step toward correcting the stories and practices that erase Indigenous people's history and culture and toward inviting and honoring the truth.
Indigenous Knowledge and Rights
Lutherans Restoring Creation has curated a list of 14 videos related to Indigenous knowledge and rights.
Indigenous Environmental Network
The Indigenous Environmental Network is an alliance of grassroots Indigenous Peoples whose mission is to protect the sacredness of Mother Earth from contamination and exploitation by strengthening, maintaining, and respecting traditional teachings and natural laws.
Land Acknowledgment Panel on Ohlone Land
The 50th from the Perspective of this Place: A Workshop on Land Acknowledgment in Yelamu — Ramaytush Ohlone Land.
Doctrine of Discovery's Role in Climate Injustice
The ELCA has been working to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery. As individuals and institutions continue to reconcile and repair relationships, let's consider what specific role Creation Care Ministries can offer—starting with listening to people's stories and recognizing the roots of racism and inequity found throughout our nation and churches.
Land Yields Life — How Wise Then
Land yields life, along with turf issues, legal disputes, and even wars. How we manage the land today determines how well we live tomorrow.
#ListenLearnLove: Whose Land of the Free? — How Wise Then
Europeans imported the idea of private property and land ownership. Perhaps we ought to reconsider our approach to modern land management.
Real Rent Duwamish
Pay rent to the Duwamish Tribe: support Duwamish Tribal Services through monthly giving.
Shuumi Land Tax — The Sogorea Te Land Trust
The Shuumi Land Tax is a voluntary annual contribution that non-Indigenous people living on the Confederated Villages of Lisjan's territory can make to support the critical work of the Sogorea Te' Land Trust.