Understanding Cultural Dimensions
As a part of recognizing Native American Heritage Month in November, we discussed the use of land acknowledgments as a way to honor Native American cultures. A land acknowledgment is a way of understanding and honoring the long-standing history that came before and has led us to reside or work on the land, and is a way to seek to understand our place in that history. In many Native American cultures, when an introduction is made this includes the lineage of an individual, which is strongly connected to the land on which their ancestors lived. As such, land is a central part of the culture, and though we often may not recognize it, is key to who we are and how we live.
Internationally, land acknowledgments are becoming increasingly common. For those of us at Berkeley Lab, if we want to include a land acknowledgment at the beginning of an event for example, to recognize and honor the local Indigenous communities, the following is one way to phrase such a message:
The land we work on is in Huichin (Xučyun), the ancestral and unceded territory of the Ohlone People.
We acknowledge the Chochenyo Ohlone people of the Bay Area and California, and recognize their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.
Recent DEI topics @ NSD Staff Meetings
November 30, 2021 LBNL workforce demographics
November 16, 2021 Intersectionality follow-up
November 2, 2021 Native American Heritage Month & Land Acknowledgments
October 19, 2021 Funded DEI initiatives
October 5, 2021 Intersectionality
September 21, 2021 Postdoc appreciation week
Luminary Cards
We’d like to remind everyone, as we continue to largely work remotely, that the Luminary Card program is virtual! You have the opportunity to recognize your co-workers with a virtual Luminary Card for any action fostering inclusion, diversity and equity within our LBNL community. Recipients who register their cards may choose to be named in this space in a future NSD newsletter.
