LAND STATEMENT
Acknowledging Our History and Harm
For generations, Camp Fire has taken and used Native and Indigenous practices, clothing, language, and symbols for our own benefit; this is cultural appropriation. We understand how harmful it has been for Native youth to see themselves as caricatures within youth development organizations like ours. This isn’t just a problem of the past—it continues today, particularly within the outdoor/camping and scouting industry. We acknowledge and face this difficult reality with deep sadness and regret and a commitment to repairing the harm caused.
Camp Fire would not exist without access to land. We recognize that our programs operate on stolen land throughout the United States and that our organization perpetuated the historical trauma Native communities endured.
Cultural appropriation is more than just “borrowing” from another culture—it’s when a group that holds power takes elements from a minority culture, often for entertainment or profit, without permission from, proper recognition of, or benefit to the oppressed group(s). For decades, Camp Fire incorporated Native and Indigenous symbols, names, rituals, and language into our programming, and made up things completely that sounded Indigenous. Native and Indigenous communities were often left out of the conversation entirely, and the richness and diversity of their cultures were homogenized into something simplistic and decorative. Learn more.
Recognizing Native Communities Today
We acknowledge the vibrancy of Native and Indigenous communities that live and thrive today. Native youth and families are part of our programs and communities and have been for decades. We recognize the brilliance, knowledge, and wisdom that Native peoples bring to environmental stewardship, community building, and cultural preservation.
Our Journey Toward Repair
Since 2017, we have been working to address and end cultural appropriation in Camp Fire. The national office and our affiliates have taken continual action to repair harm through:
- Renaming our camps and trails
- Ending camp rituals that involve mimicking Indigenous culture
- Redesigning our emblems and creating new award and recognition items
- Removing old projects that perpetuated stereotypes
- Forging reciprocal partnerships with Native organizations
- Creating programs specifically for Native youth
- Co-creating curricula with Native educators and community members
We know these are just first steps in an ongoing process and journey toward repair and reconciliation.
Our Commitment
As Camp Fire celebrates 115 years, we commit to the following actions for the next 115 years to continue to repair the harm we’ve caused:
- Continuing education for our organization and communities about Native histories, cultures, and contemporary issues.
- Centering Native peoples and their knowledge, guidance, and participation in Camp Fire.
- Investing in and prioritizing partnerships with Native youth and Native organizations.
- Approaching our relationship with land through a lens of reciprocity rather than resource extraction.
- Encouraging other organizations to examine their own histories and practices regarding cultural appropriation.
We look ahead toward action-oriented reconciliation in a concerted effort to address and repair the harm done, while building a new future together. We honor the interconnectedness of all things, recognizing the land, plants, and animals in our shared environment that are deeply woven into the well-being of ourselves and our planet. We step forward in partnership with Native communities to hold these connections as sacred, as we live out our mission of connecting young people to the outdoors, to others, and to themselves.