Land Acknowledgement Ceremony
District administrators were joined by Ho-Chunk elders and leaders of federally recognized indigenous tribes for a land acknowledgment ceremony Monday, April 25.
This historic ceremony honored the ancestral land now known as Madison as well as the original inhabitants, the Ho-Chunk people, for whom this area was known as Teejop, or Four Lakes.
This project, called the Land Acknowledgement Plaque Project, was started by two MMSD high school students, Marena Fox Baker and Isa Saiz. Both are leaders of Native American Student Associations at East and West high schools, and led the charge to have plaques installed at Madison schools to acknowledge the Ho-Chunk people as the area’s original inhabitants and to better incorporate Indigenous history into the district’s curriculum.
The Land Acknowledgement ceremony is the first to be held by a public school district in Wisconsin. The ceremony included speakers from the Ho-Chunk Nation and other officials, the exchange of gifts, drums, and the presentation of a plaque to be installed at MMSD schools.
"Our commitment is to not just learn about Indigenous people, but with you and from you."
- Superintendent Carlton D. Jenkins, Ph.D.
Land Acknowledgement Plaque
It is with great respect that our school acknowledges and celebrates the inherent sovereignty of the Ho-Chunk Nation and the 11 Indigenous First Nations within what is now referred to as the State of Wisconsin. The land you are standing on is the sacred ancestral land of the Ho-Chunk People. Our school will continue to grow and build upon our partnerships with the Ho-Chunk Nation and all First Nations.
Audio/Visual production by M.O.D. Media Productions LLC