Suggest secular invocations for a government meeting

April 18, 2022 3:56 PM

Can you suggest some secular invocations for a government meeting that I can use in the coming months?

For reasons I'd rather not get in to, the special district that I chair now has an invocation to start every meeting. The responsibility for leading the invocation rotates, and I'd like to counterprogram the extremely Jesus-y choices of some of my fellow commissioners by offering something completely non-religious. Ideally, it would be:

- Pithy
- Related to the concept of good government or public service or similar

Bonus points if it:

- Isn't the work of a straight white guy
- Also has some sort of environmental or ocean-related angle

Thanks! Looking forward to what you geniuses come up with.

posted by saladin to Law & Government (8 answers total)

I've heard the Land Acknowledgement used at Australian and Canadian meetings. A guideline for writing one from the Amnesty International website.

Here's the text used in Australia:

'In the spirit of reconciliation the [organisation] acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. '
posted by gideonfrog at 4:31 PM on April 18, 2022 [1 favorite]

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has some good ones about halfway down in this article:

https://ffrf.org/component/k2/item/14015-prayers-at-government-meetings
posted by JJ86 at 4:41 PM on April 18, 2022 [2 favorites]

I also came to say a government meeting anywhere in the America's should probablybstar with a land acknowledgement.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:32 PM on April 18, 2022

Spinifex: that doesn't really read like a land acknowledgement. It reads more like a justification/explanation of land acknowledgments. Here is another from Florida (though I don't know if the right part) that looks more like what they usually look like:

"Land Acknowledgment
We acknowledge that the William Johnston Building at Florida State University is located on land that is the ancestral and traditional territory of the Apalachee Nation, the Muscogee Nation, the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. We pay respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to their descendants, to the generations yet unborn, and to all Indigenous people.

We recognize that this land remains scarred by the histories and ongoing legacies of settler colonial violence, dispossession, and removal. In spite of all of this, and with tremendous resilience, these Indigenous nations have remained deeply connected to this territory, to their families, to their communities, and to their cultural ways of life. We recognize the ongoing relationships of care that these Indigenous Nations maintain with this land and extend our gratitude as we live and work as humble and respectful guests upon their territory. We encourage you to learn about and amplify the contemporary work of the Indigenous nations whose land you are on and to endeavor to support Indigenous sovereignty in all the ways that you can."

(Sorry... on my phone I could get either the test or the link... for the double you'll have to Google).
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:44 PM on April 18, 2022

Absolutely nthing you should consider a land acknowledgment. But be sure to work with the local people whose land you are on, to find out what they would expect or want in a land acknowledgment. A careless land acknowledgement is worse than not having one.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 7:51 PM on April 18, 2022 [1 favorite]

If only I had a penguin...you are extremely right.

I think I accidentally cut and pasted their *definition* of a Land Acknowledgement, instead of the Land Acknowledgement itself. I like your version a lot better.
posted by spinifex23 at 8:55 PM on April 18, 2022 [1 favorite]

First, look up the name of your local Indigenous people and see if they have a format they suggest as most appropriate for a land acknowledgement, and work that in.

"I'd like to remember and thank the people who came before us-- the ancestors of this place, especially the first and original people of (place name) also known as (Indigenous place name), the homeland of (name of local Indigenous people). Let's also remember all the people who made sure that today's meeting could happen, including (secretaries, janitors, etc.) There are many people who have worked hard to help us individually too-- and of course we all play our parts in the lives of others.

In that spirit, let's take a moment to reflect on the interconnected nature of our community, both the people and the land, and remember to make the people of the past, present, and future proud of us with our work and conduct today."

And then of course you could start a minute of silent reflection.
posted by blnkfrnk at 9:23 PM on April 18, 2022 [2 favorites]

At the risk of a derail, a land acknowledgement and an invocation are different things. There should be a land acknowledgement of some kind, yes, but it should definitely not replace or stand in for an invocation.
posted by Miko at 9:07 AM on April 19, 2022