Land Acknowledgment is the public recognition of Indigenous peoples. The Alaska Native people have stewarded this place for thousands of years. Their acute knowledge of this environment created a sustainable and symbiotic relationship with the waters, plants and animals of this land. We look to their Elders and their youth for guidance. It is only Indigenous ways of being that will ensure our collective future.

This workshop focused personal relationships and understandings of Land Acknowledgment and Indigenous ways of being. It included a conversational presentation as well as a guided and abstracted ceremony that focusesdon opening a space with gratitude and centering Indigenous ways of being. — Melissa Shaginoff

Land Acknowledgment Workshops, May 15, 22, 29, & Jun 5, via Zoom w Melissa Shaginoff

Land Acknowledgment in Action: 8/22 & 23 & September 5
note Melissa’s Inspiration and Adaptation talk “Land Acknowledgment in Action ” August 7.

Link to our Podcast where you can listen to Melissa’s Land Acknowledgment work with Bunnell.

Melissa Shaginoff is an Ahtna and Paiute person. She grew up in Kenai. She received her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from the University of Alaska Anchorage. After working for a brief time in social work Melissa returned to her creative roots and received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Studio Art from the Institute of American Indian Arts and Alaska Native Cultures in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is the curator of art for Alaska Pacific University. https://www.melissashaginoff.com/