Girl Scouts of Colorado recently released a Land Acknowledgement statement to name the colonial history of our region and our responsibility to respect and honor the relationship Indigenous peoples have to this land. If any troops want to take this a step further by creating a plaque or post for camp sites, please reach out by December 17. You can email dei@gscolorado.org. You can read the complete statement and call to action below.
GSCO Website Land Acknowledgement Statement
I/we acknowledge that Girl Scouts of Colorado operates on Native lands. Our offices and properties are on the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Ute, Ocethi Sakowin nations and 48 other tribes that make up the state of Colorado. Indigenous people are still here and today we remember the painful history and horrible mistreatment they suffered.
We encourage you to continue learning about Indigenous peoples’ histories, generational trauma, culture, homelands, and contributions. Below, you’ll find a few action items that can be first steps in becoming educated and engaged with organizations that advocate for Indigenous peoples.
Call to Action
Acknowledge whose land you are inhabiting and educate yourself on the nations listed above and across Colorado.
Use: Native Land to find out whose land you are on.
Support local Indigenous organizations working for justice. Some examples include: Spirit of the Sun, Denver American Indian Commission, Denver Indian Center, American Indian Academy of Denver, Ute Indian Museum, Crow Canyon Archeological Center.
Check out NativeHope.org to get a free guide on how to address Native American issues as a non- native.
Earn our Native American Heritage patch offered by GSUSA.
Watch a film featuring Indigenous actors and characters.
Read literature by Indigenous authors.