Land Acknowledgement
Missoula County’s land acknowledgement is listed below and was developed by the Séliš-Ql̓ispé Culture Committee in Salish, then translated to English.
“Today, we are gathered together in the homelands of the Salish and Kalispel people. We respect their tribal ways and their stories. We are thankful for their ancestors and for the people today. Today we are caring for this land for those yet coming.”
Y̓ etɫx̣ʷa qe es yammil̓ š l s ̓tl ̓túlixʷs Séliš u Q̓lispé sqlqélixʷ. Qe es putestm ɫu sqlixʷɫ ṇ ̓kʷuʔul̓ mis u sm̓ im̓ iʔis. Qe es lemtm ɫu x̣ʷl̓ x̣ʷlč̓ muʔusšis u x̣ʷl̓ sqlqelixʷ ̓yetɫx̣ʷa. Y̓ etɫx̣ʷa qe esyaʔ u qe es č ̓tim y̓ e
s ̓túlixʷ x̣ʷ ̓l ci putis c̓ ̓neṇnes.
A land acknowledgement is a statement that acknowledges and honors the indigenous heritage and stewardship of the land in which an event takes place or an institution has jurisdiction.
Missoula County government uses a land acknowledgement to ground everything it does in the understanding that the cultural landscape of this place is connected to the Séliš-Ql̓ispé people. This statement is a foundation for respect, education, and awareness to build upon in concrete actions, not an end unto itself. Missoula County incorporates this and acknowledgment on documents, forms and meeting agendas.
Work with CSKT
Missoula County partners with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the Séliš-Q ̓lispé Culture Committee through the following:
- Annual meeting with Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council
- Regular meetings with the Séliš-Q ̓lispé Culture Committee to understand how we can collaborate on projects
- Renaming the Higgins Street Bridge to the Beartracks Bridge (in collaboration with the City of Missoula and the Montana Department of Transportation)
- Development of the Missoula County Land Acknowledgement
Internship program with the Salish Kootenai College - Creating interpretive signage to include Indigenous place names and history