Today, and every day, it is important that we recognize the that land we now call Chicago is indigenous land.
Long before settlers arrived, Chicago was inhabited by the Potawatomi, Odawa, Sauk, Ojibwe, Illinois, Kickapoo (Kiikaapoi), Miami (Myaamia), Mascouten, Wea, Delaware, Winnebago, Menominee, and Mesquakie.
We would like to acknowledge these nations and people today, as well as their rights to the ancestral homelands that were taken from them and the historical and current struggles they face.
Chicago is home to numerous organizations working to preserve and uplift indigenous voices. Check out just a few here:
American Indian Center of Chicago: providing cultural, social and educational services, programming and support to Chicagoland’s large and diverse Native community
Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative: dedicated to furthering diverse causes and the greater well-being of American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and First Nations people in the Chicago area.
Mitchell Museum of the American Indian: one of a handful of museums across the country that focuses exclusively on the histories, cultures, traditions, and arts of Indigenous people from the United States and Canada.