The Fairbanks City Council again will take up a measure that calls for reading a land acknowledgement aloud at the beginning of its meetings. The 59-word statement would immediately follow roll call on the agenda as a part of the council’s regular order of business, according to the ordinance.
In May, the council split 3-3 on a similar ordinance. Then-Mayor David Pruhs cast the tie breaking vote to reject the measure 4-3 at its first reading – meaning it failed to advance to public hearing.
Since then, Councilmember Valerie Therrien has used the “council member comments” slot on the agenda to read the acknowledgment voluntarily.
It reads as follows: “We respectfully acknowledge the Dena people upon whose traditional lands we reside. We honor the Dena who have been the stewards of Interior lands and waters for centuries, the Elders who lived here before, the Dena people of today, and future generations to come. We also recognize that Alaskan Native people would traditionally gather here and harvest Native foods.”
The language is rehashed from a failed 2022 resolution that a former council member crafted in collaboration with Denakkanaaga, the nonprofit organization that aims to serve as a voice for Native Elders in Interior Alaska. At the time, the council instead settled on posting the acknowledgement near its chambers, alongside other documents of historical, cultural or religious significance.
For the second time this year, Therrien is cosponsoring the attempt to establish the land acknowledgement as a required part of council meetings. Councilmember Crystal Tidwell and Mayor Mindy O’Neall are also listed as cosponsors on the ordinance this time. Assuming the three of them are yes votes, the ordinance would need a minimum of one additional vote from the remaining four council members to pass.
At a meeting in November, the Fairbanks Diversity Council forwarded a recommendation that the council adopt the land acknowledgement practice. The ordinance is scheduled for first reading at the city council’s Dec. 1 meeting. It’s currently scheduled for public hearing and a vote on Dec. 15.