During the opening week of the Barack Obama Presidential Center, a traditional Native American dance performance was staged following a controversial 'land acknowledgment' statement regarding the original inhabitants of the land where the center is located.
'Land acknowledgment' statement at the opening
The center's opening ceremony began Thursday evening with a speech by Obama Foundation CEO and former presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett. Jarrett said, "We also want to take a moment to acknowledge the original inhabitants of the land on which we gather today," and stated they were honoring the Anishinaabe, Three Fires Council, Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi nations.
The center's campus also features a plaque acknowledging the land belongs to 'Indigenous peoples.' The plaque states that the Obama Foundation recognizes 'the sovereign Indigenous peoples who have lived on and cared for these lands since time immemorial.'
Traditional dance performance held
On Saturday, the third day of the center's opening, the Black Hawk Performance Company, a Native dance troupe, performed for an hour at John Lewis Plaza. The show featured a drum circle and songs and traditional dances honoring the Native American flag.
The troupe operates in the Chicago area and includes dancers from several different Native tribes. Some of Saturday's performers were from the Ojibwe tribe.
Criticism and reactions
Land acknowledgment statements like the one made by Jarrett are criticized by some circles as a 'woke' and insincere gesture. Many users on the social media platform X mocked the statement.
Conservative commentator Glenn Beck said it was hypocritical for the Obama Foundation to talk about standing on 'stolen land' with its $850 million center. Beck said, "If they truly believe it's stolen goods, they should either GIVE IT BACK or shut up."
Town Hall senior strategist Siraj Hashmi interpreted the Obama Presidential Center's failure to acknowledge rapper Chief Keef, whom he called the current tribal chief of Chicago's South Side, as 'disrespectful.'
The center also features a quote from Obama in 2009 regarding Native Americans. Obama had said at the time, "Treaties were violated. Promises were broken."
