(Living) Land Acknowledgement
Our Land Acknowledgement is not just a statement—it is one tangible action in a multifaceted and ongoing process working with Native people in our community. This process embodies the commitments we are making to listen deeply, to build lasting relationships, and to work together with the many communities we serve.
Developed over more than a year, our current Land Acknowledgement is a living statement resulting from dozens of conversations, listening sessions, and feedback from members of Native nations in our area. We welcome ongoing dialogue around the important issues addressed in this statement and plan to continue refining it based on new feedback and our own growth as an institution.
Thank you to each of the individuals who so generously shared their time and perspectives during this process, including community members, scholars, tribal leadership, and artists from the Muscogee (Creek), Kaw, Pawnee, Osage, Cherokee, and Delaware Nations.
THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (as of October 2020)
We recognize that Philbrook Museum of Art is on Native land, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. We also acknowledge the Caddo, Osage, Quapaw, Wichita, and other Indigenous peoples who have always had a presence here, as well as the Muscogee (Creek), Cherokee, and other Nations who were forcibly removed here from their traditional territories. We respect the rich history and ongoing relationship Native peoples have with this land and the many contributions of Indigenous people to this place so many call home. We commit to honor this distinctive cultural heritage in our fulfillment of the Philbrook Mission, Vision, and Values.
