Education

Consider taking time to learn about Indigenous peoples, cultures, history, and current struggles in the areas where you live, work, and visit. You might want to look for diverse sources and seek out multiple Indigenous resources to gain a more nuanced understanding. What you discover may differ from what you learned in school, and that's valuable. If you can, try going beyond what you can find online—not all tribes have a robust web presence.

• Explore this map created by Native Land Digital, an Indigenous-led nonprofit based in Canada: https://native-land.ca/. You can see Southern Pomo, Kashia, and Coast Miwok in the Sebastopol area.

• Ask your local librarian for resources.

• Consider attending an Indigenous Peoples' Day event.

• Look for workshops and classes taught by Indigenous people, such as Beyond Land Acknowledgement: https://www.redbudresourcegroup.org/

Listen and Amplify

When possible, listen to and amplify Indigenous perspectives. It's helpful to avoid speaking for, or speaking over, Indigenous voices. You might consider sharing their stories, art, and calls for action without appropriating or changing their narratives. If you have privilege in certain spaces, consider using it to amplify Indigenous voices where they may not be heard, and to create space and time for inclusion where they've been excluded.

• Follow and support Indigenous organizations, leaders, and creators on social media.

• Consider volunteering on a community day with a local tribe.

• Read books by Indigenous writers.

Respect Cultural Protocols

We encourage respecting cultural protocols, traditions, and ceremonies. It's important to avoid cultural appropriation of Indigenous symbols, attire, or art without proper understanding and permission. If you're curious about terminology used by Indigenous people, that's great—learning about loaded words and how outdated ideas persist in old terminology can be eye-opening. Keep in mind that Indigenous peoples are diverse, just like everybody else, and it's unfair to expect any individual to know about or speak for an entire group, history, or culture. When in doubt, asking questions with a genuine desire to learn is usually welcome. We can all work on challenging our own assumptions and looking for ways our power and privilege may create blind spots, moving towards more balanced, safe, mutual relationships..

• If you're interested in Indigenous art, buy from Indigenous artists—not imitation "Indian-style" jewelry, carvings, baskets, blankets, etc. Indigenous artists create new art forms, too!

• Be mindful about using Indigenous terms: "spirit animal" traditionally doesn't mean an animal you love, "two-spirit" has specific cultural meaning beyond gay or queer, "pow-wow" isn't just any meeting or discussion, etc.

• Consider joining efforts to end racist mascots.