Acknowledging Indigenous Lands In Your Wedding Ceremony
Acknowledging Indigenous Lands In Your Wedding Ceremony
If you’re planning a wedding ceremony and wondering how to include a land acknowledgment in a way that feels respectful and sincere — especially in a non-religious or outdoor wedding — this guide offers context, examples, and personal reflections from my experience as a California-based officiant who has included land acknowledgments in wedding ceremonies for years.
What is a land acknowledgment?
A land acknowledgment is a gesture that honors the Indigenous peoples who have lived on and cared for the land long before it was colonized. It recognizes them as the original stewards of the place we now inhabit and aims to counter the erasure of their history, culture, and ongoing presence. Done sincerely, it can be an act of respect, and a small step towards repair.
My Why
In recent years, land acknowledgments have become more common in wedding ceremonies and other public gatherings. My own commitment to including land acknowledgments in ceremonies is rooted in a spirit of gratitude and reciprocity. It is an act of reverence — a bow to the living history beneath our feet and to the Native peoples whose presence, culture, and care for the land persist despite centuries of erasure.
Why I Stopped Doing Them
For many years now I’ve been dedicated to offering land acknowledgments in wedding ceremonies, paying land tax (in California where I live and in NY where I grew up,) supporting rematriation and land back initiatives, and educating people in my sphere of influence on days like Columbus Day, when the pain of Indigenous erasure feels especially sharp. These gestures have always come from a place of true care.
But in the wake of the massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, something shifted. I saw “land back” organizations and causes I had quietly supported celebrating the murder of civilians and it broke my heart. It made me cautious. Suddenly, a practice that had always felt rooted in respect began to feel vulnerable to misinterpretation.
So I paused. Not because I no longer believe in acknowledgement or because I don’t want to see land stewardship restored to First Nation peoples, but because I didn’t want anyone to confuse my actions with an endorsement of violence or ideological extremism. I hesitated — and in that hesitation, I’ve been reflecting more deeply on if or how to continue this practice in a way that stays true to my original intent: reverence, reparation and recognition, not resistance or harmful rhetoric.
Reconciling Complexity
As I mentioned, I have done my best — as someone who lives on stolen land, as someone who works and profits from living on unceded territory — to acknowledge the Indigenous people whose blood was spilled (and who continue to be denied and disappeared) in order for me to live and work here, and take small steps towards acknowledgement and repair.
I have sat in sweat lodges. I have prayed in tipis. I have learned Native American prayer songs and been entrusted with spiritual teachings that have shaped my life in profound and beautiful ways.
But following the deadliest attack against Jews since the holocaust on 10/7/23, and the terrifying global surge in Jew hatred that erupted in its aftermath, I experienced something I did not expect: a heartbreak and rupture in my relationship to some of the very causes I had long supported.
As someone who celebrates diversity, who is devoted to unity and oneness, I found myself reckoning with the shadows in some of the very movements I had supported — including certain land back initiatives. I witnessed some of these groups co-opt the language of liberation while justifying or celebrating acts of terror — including the killing of peace activists, dedicated bridge builders, and civilian women and children. It was a profound and painful hypocrisy to experience, and it honestly still is.
This is not a blog about antisemitism. But it is a reflection on how the practice of land acknowledgment (and other land back initiatives) began to feel distorted by a type of resistance I am deeply opposed to. And so I paused. Not in rejection, but in discernment.
I remain committed to truth, to relationship, to repair — not resistance, not erasure, not ideological purity. I know in my bones what it is to belong to a people with a history of displacement and persecution. That knowledge lives alongside my deep and enduring respect for the Indigenous communities of Turtle Island. My hope is that any land acknowledgment made — whether in the context of a wedding ceremony or any public talk — can hold both truths with clarity and integrity. To be abundantly clear, making land acknowledgements or supporting native communities is not a permission slip for “resistance by any means necessary.”
Examples of land acknowledgments:
"We uplift, honor, and speak the traditional names of the land and people to remind this community and all other visitors, that these peoples did, and do still exist. Without their committed stewardship, we would not be enjoying this place today." — Seeing Sovereignty
“We gratefully acknowledge the Native Peoples on whose ancestral homelands we gather, as well as the diverse and vibrant Native communities who make their home here today.” — National Museum of the American Indian / Native Knowledge 360°
Additional resources:
This is the simplest, most basic and straightforward explanation I can offer you, but there is no shortage of resources about land acknowledgments, and how and why they’re done. For those of you who would like to learn more, I have consolidated several resources below for your convenience:
“When we talk about land, land is part of who we are. It’s a mixture of our blood, our past, our current, and our future. We carry our ancestors in us, and they’re around us. As you all do.” — Mary Lyons (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe)
How to simply and skillfully include a land acknowledgment in your wedding ceremony:
When I am performing a wedding ceremony — because of the context — my land acknowledgments are generally simple and succinct, unless a couple asks me to make it more elaborate. I tend to include it when I give thanks for the natural world (given that 99% of the ceremonies I officiate take place outdoors.) I might say something like:
“As we stand in this beautiful place today, we recognize that we are guests here, and we acknowledge the [tribal name,] recognizing that without their dedicated stewardship -both in the past and in the present - we would be unable to enjoy this beautiful place today.”
Since I am in California, I reference this digital land map to help me acknowledge the correct tribes and territories. The site itself is a work in progress, and there is a disclaimer on the homepage that reads:
“This map does not represent or intend to represent official or legal boundaries of any Indigenous nations. To learn about definitive boundaries, contact the nations in question. Also, this map is not perfect — it is a work in progress with tons of contributions from the community. Please send us fixes if you find errors.”
Planning to include a land acknowledgment in your ceremony?
If you're planning to include a land acknowledgment in your wedding ceremony, ask yourself why. Do your words match your actions, or are they simply performative? Are there additional, more concrete ways of supporting native communities in your city, county or state? Are you passionately championing land back initiatives thousands of miles across the world, but continuing to benefit from living on unceded land in your own home country–and have no intention of giving your land back? Have you taken time to really learn about indigenous realities in this country?
Spiritually inclusive but non-religious wedding
If you’re planning a spiritually inclusive but non-religious wedding and want your values to be reflected in your ceremony, this guide offers thoughtful support for ethical ceremony planning. Specifically writing your own wedding land acknowledgment and learning how to honor Indigenous land at your wedding—it’s full of officiant tips for inclusive weddings and ceremonies rooted in social awareness. Whether you're acknowledging Native land during public events or ceremonies, or simply seeking more conscious ways to mark your milestones, this blog was created to help you do so with intention and attention.