Land & Water Acknowledgment

MAPS Media Institute respectfully acknowledges that the land and waterways on which we gather, learn, and create is the ancestral homeland of the Indigenous peoples of what is now known as Montana and holds the histories and cultural heritage of:

Blackfeet Nation

Amskapi Piikani

Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy’s Reservation

Ojibwe (Chippewa)
Ne Hiyawak (Cree)

Crow Tribe of Indians

Apsáalooke (Crow) tribe

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes

Séliš (Bitterroot Salish)
Qlispé (Upper Pend d’Oreille)
Ksanka (Kootenai)

Fort Belknap Indian Community

Nakoda (Assiniboine)
A’aninin or Aaniiih (Gros Ventre)

Fort Peck Tribes

Nakoda (Assiniboine)
Dakota and Lakota (Sioux)

Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians

Little Shell Chippewa

Northern Cheyenne Tribe

Tsetsêhesêstâhase (“the people”) / So’taaheSo’taahe (people of the bare tipi poles)

MAPS Media Institute recognizes the enduring relationships between land, waterways, and these tribal nations and their ongoing contributions to art, media, and storytelling. 

MAPS Media Institute is committed to learning from and honoring these diverse cultures, histories, and contemporary experiences. We are committed to supporting Indigenous sovereignty, rights, and cultural resurgence and believe these are essential steps toward creating a more equitable world.

We encourage all those participating in our programs to join us in this acknowledgment and commitment.

Resources

#HonorNativeLand is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, which supports Indigenous-led organizations doing important work to further the health and wellness, sovereignty, and self-determination of the first peoples of this land.

MAPS-Lewis & Clark Program
Indigenous people have inhabited the valley where Helena is situated for more than 12,000 years; the valley acts as a crossover for Salish, Crow, Bannock, and Blackfeet tribes, among others.

MAPS-Ravalli Program
Nstetčcxétk: Waters of the Red-Osier Dogwood, the Séliš and Qlispé People of the Bitterroot Valley
© Séliš-Qlispé Culture Committee, Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, 2019. All rights reserved.