Place is more than just a piece of land. It is a piece of who we are. For too long, we have associated this place where Judson Church sits with our European/American roots, forgetting the people who called this place home for centuries before us. Mini Sota Makoce, Land where the Waters Reflect the Sky and specifically this part of the Twin Cities is the ancestral home of the Dakhóta Wahpekute people. It is home to their creation stories; it is where they hunted, fished, harvested and cared for the land, raised families, celebrated life in community, and buried their dead. 

We acknowledge that it was at the hands of European Americans and the Federal government of the United States that this land was acquired by treaties and those treaties subsequently broken, resulting in the forced removal of the Wahpekute from their ancestral lands. We acknowledge that Dakhóta people were imprisoned in concentration camps, suffered starvation, disease, and forced assimilation because of the actions of the government “we the people” sanctioned. We remember and recognize the history of this land.

 We recognize that Dakhóta, Anishinaabe, and other indigenous peoples live here today. They are our neighbors and fellow citizens. It is our obligation to do better by our neighbors, to stand with them and to learn from them as we seek to create a community that sees the creator’s face in everything.

 Pronunciation Guide:

Mini Sota Makoce –

Mini Sota is pronounced “Min nee Sew tah – accent is on the Sew

Makoce is pronounced Ma Koh Cheh – accent is on the Koh

pronunciation: https://www.howtopronounce.com/mini-sota-makoce

Whapekute –

Pronounced:  Wah peh coot – accent on the first syllable. Kute has long “o” sound.

Pronunciation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-kSq0rzxNU

Dakhóta –

Pronounced similar to Dakota

Anishinaabe –

Ah nish in ah bay – accent on “ah”

Pronunciation: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=how+to+pronounce+anishinaabe#kpvalbx=_NBrYY-XiDryoptQPsZqP2AM_29

History of our Land Acknowledgement

Judson Church’s Land Acknowledgement statement is the product of many months of research, learning, questioning, and revision. Our first iteration was a brief statement focused on acknowledging the land and it was a good beginning. As we considered this statement a living document, we knew that more work could be done to clarify our intentions. In 2022 we started again, following a process of 1) researching the history of the land and its original inhabitants, 2) constructing a statement that more clearly articulated the truth about the history of this land, 3) making the statement speak to the present and the future with a commitment to action. Two friends of Judson, sisters from Canada and members of the Bear Clan, provided some ideas for making our statement stronger, and with gratitude we took their suggestions for the current Land Acknowledgement.  The statement is read every week at the start of our Sunday service and at every event taking place in the Judson sanctuary.

Thank you

We thank the Native Governance Center for its workshop Beyond Land Acknowledgement, the USDAC’s Honor Native Land: A Call to Acknowledgement workbook, and Dr. Peggy Smith and Mary Alice Smith for helping us develop this statement.