LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (2021 - old)

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Wyoming Wilderness Association would like to recognize that public wildlands are Native lands, and that more than twenty indigenous tribes are connected to Wyoming including, the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Lakota, Dakota and Nakota bands), Hinono’ei (Arapaho), Sáhniš (Arikara), Panati (Bannock), Niitsitapi (Blackfeet), Tsistsistas (Cheyenne), Apsaalooké (Crow), A'aninin (Gros Ventre), [Gáuigú (Kiowa), Nimi'ipuu (Nez Perce), Tukudeka (Sheep Eater), Newe (Shoshone) and Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute). These tribes were forcibly and often violently removed from the areas where Wyoming’s public wildlands and communities now exist. 

Our main office is located in Sheridan, WY on land of the Apsaalooké, Tsistsistas, and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ people. The Sheridan area’s land was originally promised to be the reservation designated for the Northern Arapaho Band. This agreement was never confirmed or ratified, leaving the Northern Arapaho with no designated land for their reservation and placed indefinitely on the Shoshone Reservation, which is now the Wind River Indian Reservation. 

We respect all native people’s historic, present, and future presence in Wyoming and across the country. Far too often native people are discussed as relics of the past, rather than vital members of living cultures with the ability to offer keystone perspectives and wisdom regarding a path forward. We value the indigenous commitment to land stewardship that has kept our wildernesses pristine for generations to enjoy, and acknowledge that the wildlands we protect today were far from vacant of a human presence before the anglo-american arrival. We seek the involvement and advocacy from Wyoming’s original land inhabitants and stewards in the work we do. 

WWA would lastly like to admit that this land acknowledgement, as well as our commitment to engaging Native peoples in our work is far from perfect. We welcome and encourage all feedback and suggestions.

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For more some great map resources about Native lands, check out these resources:

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US Forest Service Tribal Connections Map

Native Land Digital Map