Hawaiian Land Acknowledgement Project

Advancing the practice of land acknowledgements in Hawaii, honoring Kānaka Maoli—the original indigenous peoples of the islands—as part of every public event or project.

• Intro
• About
• Guides
• Examples
• Contact

Aloha and welcome to the Hawaiian Land Acknowledgement project.

The people, communities, institutions and businesses of Hawaii are situated upon ancestral lands that sustained and nurtured the Native Hawaiian people for millennia. Hawaii is a special place, and Kānaka Maoli lived, honored, and protected it as a fundamental part of who they are.We believe it is important to honor the deep, spiritual connection Native Hawaiians have to these islands—Aloha ʻĀina, "love of the land"—and we should recognize that nearly all of us are visitors and guests in a place treasured by generations who came before.Our project encourages individuals, organizations, and institutions across Hawaii to thoughtfully acknowledge the Native people of the land as they organize events, launch projects, and build in Hawaii.We aim to provide resources to help you craft meaningful statements that recognize the Native Hawaiian culture, values and stewardship that allowed these islands to flourish, while sharing the history of this place and the story of its people.Words alone are not enough, but land acknowledgements are a small but tangible act, a step toward fostering respectful, caring, collaborative communities. Thank you for your interest in this mission.

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What is a land acknowledgement?

Land acknowledgements have become common practice in many parts of the world, including Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. While the Hawaiian Land Acknowledgement Project is focused on Kānaka Maoli and Hawaii, the information here is intended to be educational and useful to everyone.A land acknowledgement, also known as a "territorial acknowledgement" or "welcome to country," is a formal statement that recognizes the Indigenous peoples who have traditional connections to the land where an event or project is taking place.They are usually offered at the beginning of ceremonies, lectures, concerts, conferences, government meetings, and other public events. Land acknowledgements have also become permanent parts of projects and built places through landmarks and signage, a reminder to residents and visitors of the history of the ground on which they stand.The purpose of a land acknowledgement is to show respect for Indigenous peoples. It is a way of honoring their ancestral and ongoing relationship with the land. It also promotes awareness of the history that led to the dispossession of Indigenous peoples from their traditional territories.

"If an acknowledgment is discomforting and triggers uncomfortable conversations versus self-congratulation, it is likely on the right track."
—Association of Indigenous Anthropologists

Uncomfortable truths.

Enlisting a Native Hawaiian kahu to "bless" or ceremonially mark an occasion or location should be more than a box on a DEI checklist. Similarly, a land acknowledgements should be more than a symbolic gesture. While a kahu speaks for Kānaka Maoli, a land acknowledgement is the equally important counterpart, wherein the visitor or guest recognizes the foundational history and context of a place and its people.Crafting a land acknowledgement requires researching the Indigenous territories, treaties, and histories of the place it is being offered. Land acknowledgements should be specific and unique to the organizations and people delivering them. The most important part is taking the time to truly reflect on how an event benefits from, and impacts, indigenous communities.Offering a land acknowledgement is an act of reconciliation. It makes visible Indigenous peoples who are too often erased from histories and narratives of places like the United States.Land acknowledgements remind non-Indigenous people that they are beneficiaries of colonization and genocide.

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Guides to developing a land acknowledgement.

After determining whether a land acknowledgement is appropriate, here are a few resources to help you plan, develop, and ultimately deliver a meaningful statement.

• Lee Cataluna: How Virtual Meetings Highlight Indigenous Traditions

• A Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgment (NEEF)

• A Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgment (NGC)

• The Land You Live On: An Education Guide (PDF)

• Acknowledgement to Action

• Going Beyond Land Acknowledgments

• You Want to Do a Land Acknowledgement? Great! Why?

• The Rise of Land Acknowledgments — and Their Limitations

“It’s not about the verbiage. It’s not about your statement being ‘correct.’ It’s not about performance either. It’s about the action that needs to happen.”
—Apryl Deel-McKenzie

In addition to ensuring there is both intent and action behind a land acknowledgement, it is worth considering the case against them:

• How Well-Meaning Land Acknowledgements Can Erase Indigenous People and Sanitize History

• Land Acknowledgments Are Often an Empty Gesture, Some Indigenous People Say

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Example land acknowledgements.

Here are land acknowledgements developed by other organizations and projects. These should serve merely as examples, and not templates.

• University of Hawaii at Mānoa

• UH Mānoa Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office

• Kapi‘olani Community College

• National Park Service — Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau

• Native Governance Center (St. Paul, Minnesota)

• University of Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa)

• Northwestern University (Chicago, Illinois)

• Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.)

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Join the Hawaiian Land Acknowledgement project.

We are on a mission to make land acknowledgements a regular practice in Hawaii, through education, advocacy, and policy. If you'd like to support this project, please contact us.

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Mahalo.

Thank you for your interest in land acknowledgements. We encourage you to make them a regular part of your projects.

An initiative of the
Kilinahe Foundation / Hawaii Hui LLC

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