Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) stripped the county’s land acknowledgment of a euphemism and rewrote it to be more meaningful and impactful.
The updated version now drops the phrase “since time immemorial,” which BOCC Chair Tye Menser called “cliché." The draft was reviewed and discussed during the board’s check-in meeting on Wednesday, May 21.
“I’ve never been really happy with the phraseology of like ‘stewarded this since time immemorial,’” Menser said. “That just always kind of made me bristle a little bit because it felt kind of like clichéd language that you know you hear.”
Menser authored the revised draft, retaining historical references to ancestral land stewardship, but reworking the language toward specificity.
The full draft now reads:
“We would also like to start today with a land (acknowledgment). We would like to acknowledge and thank the indigenous Salish peoples whose elders and ancestors have lived on and stewarded the lands and waterways of this County with great care, and who continue as sovereign nations today, specifically the Squaxin Island, Nisqually, and Chehalis people. Truth and acknowledgement are critical to building mutual respect and connection across all barriers of heritage and difference. The purpose of this (acknowledgment) is to disrupt ongoing erasure of injustices done and to remember history as a stepping stone towards healing. We commit to working together to honor our past and build our future with truth.”
In the final sentence, “We commit to working together to honor our past and build our future with truth,” Menser said he wanted to include a line that felt grounded and sincere.
He first heard “build our future with truth" during a presentation at Brown University, which he attended with his daughter.
“It stated something that I think we all feel and care about. So that felt to me like very meaningful, but also very concise, and didn’t make our land acknowledgment overly, you know, clunky," he said.
The board then expressed agreement with the changes and supported the next step of sending the revision to the Squaxin Island, Nisqually, and Chehalis tribes for feedback.
BOCC Vice Chair Wayne Fournier said the updated version was not only an improvement, but well-timed.
“I liked the one that you had. I thought it was great. I like the one that you redrafted. I think it’s improved. I think it’s like perfect timing, because we’ve got the upcoming meetings with the different tribal councils to just, you know, share it with them and get their opinion and buy-in or blessing," Fournier said.
Menser then acknowledged that Fournier had suggested sharing the revised draft with the tribes. He agreed the timing made sense.
In consideration of the weight of the statement, Commissioner Carolina Mejia said she thought the revised version was respectful.
“There’s split feelings when it comes to land acknowledgments, but I think you’ve done a really good job on your revisions, and it’s very thoughtful,” she said.
Commissioner Emily Clouse said she was on board with the new language and stressed that any acknowledgment involving tribes should include their voice.
“I like the revisions, and I appreciate the suggestion to share it with the tribes,” she said. “I think that’s definitely a must-do step in the process.”
Ahead of upcoming tribal meetings, County Manager Leonard Hernandez confirmed the county would move forward with sharing the revised statement with the three tribal governments.
Menser said the goal was to keep the process respectful and uncomplicated by simply giving the tribal councils a chance to review the draft and offer any feedback, questions or concerns they might have before the board decides how to proceed.
The previous version of the land acknowledgment leaned on traditional language and referred to the tribes using the term "sovereign government partners."
In contrast, the new version names the Squaxin Island, Nisqually, and Chehalis peoples directly and affirms their inherent status as self-governing nations.
“We could probably draft five. (All of) us could draft five different land acknowledgments. But I wanted to propose these to the board if they liked them or felt comfortable with them," Menser said.
Menser reiterated the text was “not perfect," but consensus at the check-in session signals that this version, once reviewed by tribal partners, could become the board’s standard language at future meetings.
No timeline was announced for when a final version would be brought back for a vote or final review.
13 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
JW
If it's so sacred and special and an injustice then give the land back. Until then it's just words to make yourself look and feel good.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025 Report this
JulesJames
What an incredible waste of time and money. Each council meeting staffed by rows of county employees each drawing salary and benefits being force to listen to pandering twaddle. It a joke. Hoping the tribes stand up for sincere governance but recommending the whole virtue signaling performance gets flushed.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025 Report this
BobB
It is absolutely performative. And so is singing the national anthem before professional sports games. The Pledge of Allegiance is a performative loyalty oath. I will save my outrage for something that's outrageous. Until then, enjoy the life you have.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025 Report this
JHermes
Maybe they can have a simplified version for schoolchildren, please?
Maybe, "We thank the people whose families have always lived here and cared for this land. We promise to learn from history and take care of the land we share".
History and acknowledgement are important. Age-appropriate vocabulary helps build understanding.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025 Report this
bobkat
A resounding AMEN to all the previous posts. "Performative" is definitely the appropriate adjective. The Board should all be polled and asked, "Don't ya'll feel better about yourselves now?" What twaddle!
Wednesday, May 28, 2025 Report this
Resident_98512
I was looking for the “Like” button or the “I agree” button but couldn’t find one, so I will simply say that the other folks talking about what a performative waste of time this is are right on the money. We all know the history, they were here first, Europeans came in and took the land. Old story. Move on.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025 Report this
Southsoundguy
Dumb.
Thursday, May 29, 2025 Report this
griffithga
Nice work Commissioner Menser. Thank you for your thoughtful approach to the revised language. Also thanks to the BOCC for taking this to the Tribal councils for comments. It will be interesting and instructive to learn what they have to say.
Thursday, May 29, 2025 Report this
ViaLocal
I, like always, applaud this effort to acknowledge this history and these communities, and I applaud the willingness and interest in improving these acknowledgements. If the tribes appreciate it then it is more than performative. We can't necessarily undo what happened to the Native Americans, but we can make continuous efforts to acknowledge it, discuss it, teach about it and learn from our mistakes. Talking about it and remembering it ensures we don't continue to ignore the ugly acts of the past and ensures we act differently in the future.
Thursday, May 29, 2025 Report this
Southsoundguy
Liberalism is self-terminating.
Thursday, May 29, 2025 Report this
Boatyarddog
@ SS guy (aka SS Potatohead) Perhaps You should SELF terminate and do is ALL a Favor. TROLL
Thursday, May 29, 2025 Report this
Boatyarddog
@SSGUY YOU have not yet figured it out that Progressives in Olympia are here Just to **** YOU off. DEAL with it!
Thursday, May 29, 2025 Report this
Southsoundguy
Boatyard, you are still unhinged. Typical symptom of liberal progressivism.
Friday, May 30, 2025 Report this