PDXWIT Land Acknowledgement
Portland rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other Tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River so please join us in our acknowledgement of the land we find ourselves on at events throughout this city.
Racism can show up through invisibility of indigenous lands, erasure of indigenous history, and ongoing oppression of current day indigenous people. In 2019, PDXWIT incorporated land acknowledgement into the introduction at all of our events. We know this is an imperfect process and are open to your feedback as we continue to learn how to best acknowledge the complex and robust indigenous history of this area. Genocide and settler colonialism are complicated historical incidents that cannot be summed up in a minute long intro at an event. It is our hope however, to draw attention to the opportunities that exist when it comes to acknowledging the history and supporting the future of indigenous Oregonians.
In 2021, under the leadership of Erin Grace (Chetco, Tututni), PDXWIT launched Native Americans in Tech. If you are interested in participating, let us know here.
We first started talking about land acknowledgement as an organization at the end of 2018, but wanted to gather as much information and hear from as many members of the community we could before moving forward with implementing this at our events, which we did in June of 2019. We want to recognize some folks inside and outside of the PDXWIT community who were instrumental in getting us to this point:
PDXWIT member Erin Grace
Local community leader Court Morse (Chippewa, Ojibwe, Anishinaabeg)
Robert Kentta (Siletz Tribal Cultural Resources Director)
PDXWIT has committed to contributing annual funds to organizations supporting local indigenous communities. Below is a list of local organizations we recommend you consider joining us in supporting:
NAYA: Enhances the diverse strengths of our youth and families in partnership with the community through cultural identity and education.
ONAC: Dedicated to working with all members of the community to advance the educational and economic opportunities for Native Americans in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
NICWA: Working to eliminate child abuse and neglect by strengthening our families, tribes, and the laws that protect them.
NARA: Providing education, physical and mental health services and substance abuse treatment that is culturally appropriate to American Indians, Alaska Natives and anyone in need.
If you have recommendations of organizations to add to this list, please reach out to hello@pdxwit.org
Additional resources we recommend you check out:
Leading with Tradition: Native American Community in the Portland Metropolitan Area
The Native American Community in Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile
Native Americans in Tech Sign Up Form
Ash Elverfield speaks to PDXWIT audience about NAYA