Land Acknowledgement
All Saints Church is located on Tovaangar, the ancestral homeland of the indigenous Tongva people, who were the original caretakers of this land we occupy, and who were dispossessed of it through the injustices brought about by colonization. The Tongva people continue to remain in relationship with these lands today through ceremony, culture, and stewardship, and we are grateful for their example and leadership. We are guests upon this land, with a responsibility to treat it with respect and care, and to seek justice for indigenous peoples.
It is only by telling the whole story that we can tell a new story of this land together. As part of our commitment to seeking reconciliation with the land and all people who have lived on it, and according to our core values of Courageous Justice and Ethical Stewardship, All Saints Church is committed to acknowledging the land’s history and working with the Tongva to perform reparative action.
To learn more about the history of the land we are on, read our report on the land here.
If you are leading a meeting on All Saints Church campus, we invite you to begin your meeting with a land acknowledgement. Here are some examples of text that you can use:
“We acknowledge that this land is sacred
It is sacred to the Tongva people, its original caretakers
It is sacred to us, guests upon the land
In all that we do upon this land, may we treat it with respect and honor
In our stewardship of this land, may we learn from the faithful example of the Tongva people, and partner with them in its use and care
Together, may we make this land a place of love, justice, and peace”
or
“We acknowledge that All Saints Church sits on the land of the Tongva people, who are the original caretakers of Tovaangar, the land spanning LA County and the California Channel Islands. The Tongva people continue to remain in relationship with these lands through ceremony, culture, and stewardship. With gratitude to them we commit to being good guests upon the land.”
Return to The Telling The Whole Story Project
If you want to learn more about this work or become a part of it, contact Hannah Earnshaw.
Land Acknowledgement
All Saints Church is located on Tovaangar, the ancestral homeland of the indigenous Tongva people, who were the original caretakers of this land we occupy, and who were dispossessed of it through the injustices brought about by colonization. The Tongva people continue to remain in relationship with these lands today through ceremony, culture, and stewardship, and we are grateful for their example and leadership. We are guests upon this land, with a responsibility to treat it with respect and care, and to seek justice for indigenous peoples.
It is only by telling the whole story that we can tell a new story of this land together. As part of our commitment to seeking reconciliation with the land and all people who have lived on it, and according to our core values of Courageous Justice and Ethical Stewardship, All Saints Church is committed to acknowledging the land’s history and working with the Tongva to perform reparative action.
To learn more about the history of the land we are on, read our report on the land here.
If you are leading a meeting on All Saints Church campus, we invite you to begin your meeting with a land acknowledgement. Here are some examples of text that you can use:
“We acknowledge that this land is sacred
It is sacred to the Tongva people, its original caretakers
It is sacred to us, guests upon the land
In all that we do upon this land, may we treat it with respect and honor
In our stewardship of this land, may we learn from the faithful example of the Tongva people, and partner with them in its use and care
Together, may we make this land a place of love, justice, and peace”
or
“We acknowledge that All Saints Church sits on the land of the Tongva people, who are the original caretakers of Tovaangar, the land spanning LA County and the California Channel Islands. The Tongva people continue to remain in relationship with these lands through ceremony, culture, and stewardship. With gratitude to them we commit to being good guests upon the land.”
Return to The Telling The Whole Story Project
If you want to learn more about this work or become a part of it, contact Hannah Earnshaw.