Native Land Acknowledgement Video Debuts at Tempe City Council

November 07, 2025

Jeston Morris

Comminuty Newsperson

TEMPE, Ariz. — A dozen Native Americans attended the Tempe City Council’s debut of the Native Land Acknowledgement video on October 16.

The Native land acknowledgement video debuted at the Tempe Council Chambers. It was the first item on the council agenda. Tempe Vice Mayor Doreen Garlid gave a remark on the video debut, and she acknowledged all the elected tribal officials and artists who attended.

Tribal officials include Gabriel Lopez, chairman of the Ak-Chin Indian Community, and Su:k Chu:vak Fulwilder, District D, Council Member from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The film artists include Amy Davila, Chandra Narcia, and Helema Andrews. The Tempe Council posed with the tribal delegation for a photograph. The video was produced in partnership with HEKiU and the City of Tempe.

The title of the video is ‘Ancestral Land,’ and it’s one minute and 29 seconds. The video has native actors and is narrated by Dwayne Manuel of Salt River. The video is filmed in the vicinity of Tempe. The scenes include Tempe Town Lake, A Mountain, and Valley Metro Rail. The languages include English, O’odham, and Piipaash.

The video has 88 English words. Oral O’odham and Piipaash languages appeared in the video, but there is no transcription of it, only for English. Alvarez and Hale’s orthography is standard text. The video starts and ends with O’odham and Piipaash songs. Gourd acoustic rhythm synchronizes the dancers. O’odham basket dancing signifies the connection to the ancestral land and sacred spaces. Bird dancing bridges native tradition with modernity in the 21st century.

Drone aerial cinematography compares landscape vis-à-vis cityscape on native ancestral land. The HEKiU artists articulated a film that transcends time in the context of native communities that are adjacent to urban metroplexes.

Video reflections.

“This video makes the Land Acknowledgement personal. Instead of just hearing the words, our community can see Indigenous culture in the context of our shared city—on the land, in motion, and alive. That kind of visibility is powerful, and you can feel it in your soul,” said Garlid, who is a member of the Navajo Nation.

Amy Davila, who is a Gila River member from District 4, contributed as a videographer. She has worked with the City of Tempe on several projects. “They asked us to put together a video that represents O’odham and Piipaash for their land acknowledgment. We had creative freedom in producing the video,” said Davila. “Ash Garage’s Timeline mural by Thomas ‘Breeze’ Marous and Dwayne Manuel was incorporated into the film. As artists, we created our own story with the video.”

Chandra Narcia, who is a Gila River member from District 3, contributed as an editor and videographer. “Land acknowledgments are not always the answer; they are a step in the right direction to recognize the ancestral lands of our people. But as a collective, we want to encourage people to go beyond a land acknowledgment and actually get to know & collaborate with our people in surrounding tribal communities to build better relationships,” said Narcia, Hekiu artist.

Fulwilder reflected on the debut of the video. She said, “Land acknowledgment video is a respectful thing to do. More cities and organizations are doing it. To see our people and our youth in the video makes me feel proud. It’s a very beautiful video,” said Fulwilder. 

Chairman Lopez of the Ak-Chin Indian Community reflected on the video. “I think the land acknowledgment is long overdue. The O’odham people have been living in this region since time immemorial. We come from the land. The O’odham people come from the land. O’odham means “people of the desert.”

Debuting the land acknowledgment video makes me feel proud. It makes our ancestors feel proud,” said Lopez. Reylynne Williams, tribal historic preservation officer and GRIC member from Co-op Village, reflected on the video. “After viewing the video, I was so happy to see our Native people as actors and film artists. Both O’odham and Piipaash have a connection to water. Water sustained our ancestors, and it sustains our lives now. Archaeologically, O’odham have lived along the Salt River. And we continue to live in the same vicinities. Seeing the dancers dance along the river is reconnecting to our ancestral roots, landscape, and space. The video makes my heart happy,” said Williams.

Native Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that Tempe lies on the ancestral land of the native peoples, who have lived here since time immemorial. The ancestral land of the O’odham & Piipaash stretches far beyond the boundaries of our city. The landscape is sacred to them, embodying cultural values that are integral to their identity and way of life. The O’odham and Piipaash continue to maintain a deep spiritual connection to this land. We embrace the responsibility of caring for these places and vow to uphold this commitment in all our actions.