The Eco-Justice Center acknowledges that our organization resides on the homelands and waters of the Bodwéwadmi (Potawatomi), Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk), Myaamia (Miami), Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux), and Peewaalia (Peoria) nations, who have known this land and water as a relative for millennia and who remain our hosts on the land today. This statement is made within the context of a present where tribal communities are continuing to struggle for sovereignty in their ways of hunting, fishing, gathering, and farming. We also recognize that we are located along the southwest shores of Michigami (meaning “big or great water” in Anishinaabemowin).  Past, present, and future caretakers of these lands and waters also include the Ojibwe, Ottawa, Sauk, Fox, and Mascouten peoples.

We remember that Racine County is covered by the 1833 Treaty of Chicago signed by the United States and Potawatomi and acknowledge it cleaved and dispersed this tribal nation through forced removal from their homelands and waters.

The Eco-Justice Center comes to the first citizens of Turtle Island (North America) offering respect and a deep appreciation for their knowledge of all the plants, animals, trees, soils, and medicine this region supports. We hold curiosity and a desire to learn from tribal partners, to be accountable for our actions, and to be a true collaborator in healing our relationships with the land so that all ecosystems, natural communities, and species may thrive.

As we celebrate and connect people to these natural spaces and species, we acknowledge that:

• The land and waterways of Southeastern Wisconsin have been the home of Indigenous peoples long before European settlement; before memory or record.
• Through deceit, forced removal, and massacre, colonizers attempted to erase Indigenous peoples from this land and these waterways. This erasure continues through policy at local, state, and federal levels today.
• Indigenous people are strong and determined, and there are many communities in the Southeastern Wisconsin-area today who are keeping the stories, languages, and traditions of Indigenous peoples alive.

To learn more about the many Native communities of Turtle Island and the history of broken treaties, harmful U.S. governmental policies both past and present, and the forced removal and ceded lands of Native people in this region, visit:

Native Land Digital – Indigenous-led nonprofit Native-land mapping tool
The Ways – Production of PBS Wisconsin Education
Native Governance– Indigenous-led nonprofit dedicated to assisting Native nations in strengthening their governance systems and capacity to exercise sovereignty.