Hi Jennifer,
One thing I really appreciate in your acknowledgement is your inclusion of the Dakota place name for the Minnesota region and what it means. It gave me a sense of immediate experience - sparked visual images, feeling of beauty, and intuitions of how people might live in that place. Versus only geographical location on a map.
It really brings to life the concept of how knowing traditional place names is "important to building relationships with the places where we live and teach" (Promising practice section, Step 1 Learning Materials). You inspired me to learn more about the meaning of local place names here in Victoria and reflect on how I can integrate them in my own land acknowledgement.
While exploring local First Nation websites, I found that place names most near where I live and work reflect the importance of relationship with the ocean. In a bigger perspective, I also found this Coming Home to Indigenous Place Names map by the Canadian-American Center at the University of Maine - great to see another neighbourly learning collaboration there :-)
I also appreciate how you have been able to capture so much meaning in such a brief statement as we are so often constrained by time in contexts like workshop openings.