Building Bridges: Beyond Land Acknowledgments

Event Details

“Long ago, Native Americans used this land for hunting and gathering.” This seemingly harmless sentence can be found in almost every park, environmental class, and outdoor program. Contrary to this common teaching, Native Americans are very much present and involved with the natural world in more ways than “hunting and gathering.” In this talk, we will address Native American representation in the outdoors, learn how to re-frame the narratives surrounding Native peoples, and discuss why “Land Acknowledgments” may fail Indigenous audiences.

Autumn Brunelle is Anishinaabe, a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, and grew up on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in Cass Lake, Minnesota. Autumn graduated in 2015 from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Native American Studies with a desire for integrating indigenous knowledge into environmental education and outreach. She has continued to develop this passion through her diverse work experiences with international and local non-profits, the National Park Service, local governments, and in creating community-based environmental programming. She currently works as a fulltime Naturalist for the Monroe County Parks and Recreation Department.