Annual Meeting Opening Ceremony Planning Guidelines

Approved by the LSA Executive Committee on May 3, 2025

Background

In 2023 the Executive Committee approved seven potential actions in honor of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. They were announced during the 2024 Annual Meeting as part of the celebration of the LSA Centennial to honor the United Nations International Decade of Indigenous Languages. The seven actions are intended as an acknowledgment by LSA of the complex and sometimes highly problematic history of linguists’ interactions with Native American and other Indigenous peoples, while also making a clear and meaningful commitment to working toward right and durable relationships moving into the future.
One of those actions was to “forego official LSA land acknowledgments unless and until an organizationally feasible process of working collaboratively with tribes to develop appropriate land acknowledgments is identified.”
The following set of guidelines represent a step toward defining a feasible and respectful way of working collaboratively with tribes when organizing Annual Meeting opening ceremonies. They may be updated from time to time and are intended to be flexible to make it possible to respond to emerging or unique circumstances.

Opening Ceremony Planning Guidelines

  1. LSA Annual Meeting Opening Ceremonies should include an element that honors and acknowledges the history and language(s) of the American Indian people whose lands historically included the Annual Meeting location. [1]
  2. Planning for the Opening Ceremony should be done in collaboration with representatives of that tribe/nation, who should be invited to participate in the event. Planning should also include the LSA Indigenous / Native American Community Advisor.
  3. If more than one American Indian tribe/nation historically resided in the area, in most circumstances it may be optimal to involve only one group, while acknowledging the others. This will help ensure that the necessary time and resources are available to establish a respectful and supportive collaboration around the event, keeping in mind the Opening Ceremony is 30 minutes long. If we return to a meeting location where we worked with one nation/tribal group previously, organizers are encouraged to involve one of the other tribes/nations in the subsequent Annual Meeting.
  4. The following order is recommended when determining which tribe to invite to participate first, and if they decline the invitation, which tribe to approach next:

    - Federally recognized tribes
    - State recognized tribes
    - Other tribes and have neither federal nor state recognition [2]
     
  5. During the planning process, research should be done to identify existing acknowledgement protocols that might be appropriately incorporated into the Opening Ceremony. [3]
  6. The current year equivalent of $1000 in 2025 should be included in each Annual Meeting budget for the purpose of supporting tribal participation in the Opening Ceremony. These funds can be used in whatever way is most supportive, including but not limited to covering travel costs and providing an honorarium. Each year, this amount should be adjusted to take into account the cost of inflation.
  7. The LSA president and Executive Director should lead this planning process, as an indication of the importance with which LSA views the Opening Ceremony and establishing meaningful collaboration with tribal nations for its planning. 
---------------------------- 
Additional process notes and suggestions 

[1] Organizers are advised to draw on both community networks and scholarly networks to identify appropriate communities, and to see Native Land Digital for a useful interactive map.
[2] It is recommended that these groups, before being considered, should have an established record demonstrating organized efforts to seek recognition.
[3] Moving beyond performative land acknowledgments does not mean that land acknowledgments cannot by definition be appropriately and meaningfully included.