Proclamation for Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2021
WHEREAS Parks Tacoma recognizes that Indigenous peoples around the world have been the caring, unyielding guardians of the Earth since time immemorial, and that their resilience and knowledge represent a fundamental way forward to protect thriving ecosystems and all our futures, and
WHEREAS Parks Tacoma honors and respects that the public lands on which we steward park, recreation, and zoological experiences are the ancestral homelands and the historically, culturally and spiritually significant sites of the Indigenous People of the Puyallup and Nisqually tribes, who have stewarded these lands since time immemorial and who continue to live and raise their families here, and
WHEREAS Parks Tacoma herewith resolves formally to acknowledge that same historic Indigenous ownership and stewardship through a land acknowledgement statement to be shared by the agency across its physical, digital and meeting spaces, building on guidance previously provided by Puyallup tribal members in crafting such statements and engaging Parks Tacoma staff of Indigenous heritage, and
WHEREAS Parks Tacoma has formally committed to reforming as an anti-racist agency by dismantling racist structures and partnering with communities to co-create solutions, and
WHEREAS Parks Tacoma echoes the proclamation made on this Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2021 by the Federal Government that generations of U.S. governmental policies “have systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures,” and acknowledges that its own anti-racist efforts have just begun, and
WHEREAS in 2018 the City of Tacoma joined with more than 70 jurisdictions recognizing the second Monday in October as “Indigenous Peoples’ Day in support of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’ (“Declaration”), which recognizes that “Indigenous peoples have suffered from historic injustices as a result of, inter alia, the colonization and dispossession of their lands, territories and resources,” and Article 15 of the Declaration recognizes the right of Indigenous Peoples “to the dignity and diversity of their cultures, traditions, histories and aspirations which shall be appropriately reflected in education and public information” and obliges Nation states to “take effective measures, in consultation and cooperation with the Indigenous peoples concerned, to combat prejudice and eliminate discrimination and to promote tolerance, understanding and good relations among indigenous peoples and all other segments of society,” and
WHEREAS Parks Tacoma is grateful for the generous collaboration of the Puyallup, Nisqually and also Squaxin Island tribes in stewarding park lands, including active participation in the redesign of Owen Beach at Point Defiance in a manner reflecting and supporting their traditional use of the site since time immemorial, specifically elements such as an elder outlook platform, beach accessibility for Canoe Journey and longhouse-style building roofs, and
WHEREAS Parks Tacoma acknowledges the commitment to land protection shown by the Muckleshoot Tribe Adult Work Program in their Urban Habitat Restoration training day at Titlow Park, and
WHEREAS Parks Tacoma is grateful for the work of the Puyallup tribe in assisting and creating storytelling of their culture through artworks at Parks Tacoma locations such as Anthony Duenas’ “syayayəʔ ʔə tiiɫ x̌ʷiqʷadiʔ pt.2 (“Family of the Thunderbird”)” on the Owen Beach Promenade, a mural depicting the thunderbird’s creation of the Puyallup people; and Mary Coss’ “Ghost Log” at Dickman Mill Park, an allegorical steel sculpture that intertwines the industrial heritage of the site with the sacred cedar that made that industry possible, and
WHEREAS tribal members have further supported culturally appropriate and historically accurate storytelling through partnering on the Puget Sound Treaty War Panel series and active participation in the creation of interpretive signage for Owen Beach, Melanie’s Park, and Swan Creek Park; and
WHEREAS Parks Tacoma is also grateful for the Nisqually tribe’s continued support of wildlife and habitat by donations this year of 250 native tree seedlings to be planted around Northwest Trek, and of tribal hatchery salmon to enrich and feed native Northwest animals at the wildlife park, connect them to their wild counterparts and give park guests the opportunity to learn about the intricate ecosystem we all share, and
WHEREAS Parks Tacoma and the Northwest Trek Foundation are extremely grateful for the financial support of both the Puyallup and Nisqually tribes for the creation of the award-winning Eagle Passage exhibit at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park; and
WHEREAS Parks Tacoma and Tacomans alike are honored that respected tribal elders have joined in community celebrations to offer sacred blessings for our public park lands and the people who use them, as well as being our guests for this proclamation today,
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Erik Hanberg, President, on behalf of the Board of Park Commissioners, do hereby recognize October 11, 2021 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, honoring the presence and land stewardship of all Indigenous tribes and committing to continued partnership with them in caring for our lands and restoring equity in our communities.