We acknowledge ...

On Thursday, Nov. 14, St. Charles celebrated Native American, American Indian and Alaskan Native Heritage month by hosting a Native Market of artisan vendors at our Madras hospital and presenting the first physical installation of our organization's land acknowledgment statement.

Posted prominently in the main lobby of the hospital, the land acknowledgment says:

We acknowledge that the St. Charles campuses are located within the 10 million acres ceded to the Federal Government, also usual and accustomed areas, when the 1855 Treaty was signed with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs of Oregon. We offer this acknowledgment to honor all Native Americans that live in this area and who are the original people of this land.

The journey to get to those 62 very important words was long, and it predates my work at St. Charles. For me, though, it started a couple of years ago, when one of our providers, Dr. Shilo Tippett - a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Wasco Tribe - spent a chilly fall day taking me around area, feeding me delicious luckame'n, touring the Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center, introducing me to tribal leaders and teaching me about tribal culture.

At the end of the day, I thanked Dr. Tippett for not just telling me about her history and the history of her family, but for taking time to show me how many people of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs live and so many places where their culture is rooted. She reminded me recently that as I thanked her, I also asked if there was anything I could do in return for the generosity she had shown me.

And that's when she told me that about the land acknowledgment work that began before the COVID-19 pandemic and stalled as our St. Charles teams put all efforts toward saving lives for several years.

I am grateful for that day and for the work that came next, which resulted in the land acknowledgment now on the wall at our Madras campus. I'm also grateful for the many people - including members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs - who worked hand in hand to develop its language and artwork, as well as our new land acknowledgment web page. I have learned so much along the way, and I view our acknowledgment as a standing invitation to each of us to be curious, to inquire, to reflect and to learn for oneself. To further extend that invitation, we will also install land acknowledgments at our other locations in the near future.

Land acknowledgments are a way for organizations to pay respects to the original inhabitants of the land upon which we reside and work and to recognize Indigenous people as the original stewards of said land. We hope that by acknowledging the past and working toward an inclusive future, we can aid in emotional healing and help set a positive tone for future generations.

Sincerely,
Steve