Every morning in schools all over Alaska, students stand and recite the “Pledge of Allegiance”, pledging allegiance to the United States of America and its government. However, indigenous (and non-indigenous) young people all across the state have never been afforded the chance each morning to acknowledge the First Peoples of Alaska whose land on which their schools, homes and communities are built.

Inspired by the Toronto District School Board’s recent decision to start the ritual of a morning acknowledgement of traditional territories in all 588 of their schools, Alaska should follow suit in every one of its schools and school districts. See the article about the TDSB’s decision here.

An acknowledgement of indigenous territories each day wouldgive pride to young indigenous people to know each day that their people have been on this land for the last 10,000 years. It would also be of benefit to non-indigenous students to learn more about the history of culture of the people in which their school is situated.

A short acknowledgement each day would be one small step closer to reconciliation for the past abuses of the Alaska government to indigenous peoples, and to realizing a more decolonized educational system. A daily acknowledgement would be one step closer to achieving a more equitable, just and peaceful state.

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We are petitioning the following school districts to add daily acknowledgements of indigenous territory:

Alaska Gateway School District (Ahtna, Tanacross, Upper Tanana, Hän)
Aleutian Region School District (Unangax̂)
Aleutians East Borough School District (Unangax̂)
Anchorage School District (Dena’ina)
Annette Island School District (Ts’msyan)
Bering Strait School District (Inupiaq, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, Yup’ik)
Chugach School District (Sugpiaq)
Copper River School District (Ahtna)
Cordova City School District (Sugpiaq, Eyak)
Craig City School District (Lingít, Haida)
Delta/Greely School District (Tanana)
Denali Borough School District (Ahtna, Tanana)
Dillingham City School District (Yup’ik)
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District (Tanana)
Galena City School District (Denaakk’e)
Haines Borough School District (Lingít)
Hoonah City School District (Lingít)
Hydaburg City School District (Haida)
Iditarod Area School District (Deg Hit’an, Holikachuk, Upper Kuskokwim)
Juneau Borough School District (Lingít)
Kake City School District (Lingít)
Kashunamiut School District (Cup’ik)
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District (Lingít)
Klawock City School District (Lingít)
Kodiak Island Borough School District (Sugpiaq/Alutiiq)
Kuspuk School District (Yup’ik, Deg Hit’an, Dena’ina)
Lake and Peninsula Borough School District (Yup’ik, Sugpiaq, Dena’ina)
Lower Kuskokwim School District (Yup’ik, Cup’ig)
Lower Yukon School District (Yup’ik, Cup’ik)
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (Dena’ina)
Mt. Edgecumbe (Lingít)
Nenana City School District (Tanana)
Nome Public Schools (Inupiaq)
North Slope Borough School District (Iñupiaq)
Northwest Arctic Borough School District (Iñupiaq)
Pelican City School District (Lingít)
Petersburg Borough School District (Lingít)
Pribilof School District (Unangax̂)
St. Mary’s School District (Yup’ik)
Sitka School District (Lingít)
Skagway School District (Lingít)
Southeast Island School District (Lingít, Haida)
Southwest Region School District (Yup’ik)
Tanana City School District (Denaakk’e)
Unalaska City School District (Unangax̂)
Valdez City School District (Sugpiaq)
Wrangell Public School District (Lingít)
Yakutat School District (Lingít)
Yukon Flats School District (Gwitch’in)
Yukon-Koyukuk School District (Denaakk’e, Tanana)
Yupiit School District (Yup’ik)