Academy Awards Mocked for ‘Indigenous Land Acknowledgement’

On Sunday, the 97th Academy Awards ceremony faced widespread mockery on social media due to an acknowledgement of so-called “indigenous land.”

According to Fox News, the segment featured an actress named Julianne Hough, who acknowledged three Native American tribes that allegedly once owned the land on which the ceremony took place.

“We gather in celebration of the Oscars on the ancestral lands of the Tongva, Tataviam and Chumash peoples, the traditional caretakers of this water and land,” said Hough. “We honor and pay our respects to indigenous communities here and around the world.”

The segment lasted just 15 seconds.

The brief speech was the subject of ridicule and criticism as meaningless performative language and virtue-signaling. Abigail Jackson, the communications director for Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), posted on X that the speech was “performative nonsense,” and that Hough should “give the land back if you’re so woke.”

Even Democrats criticized the display, with Democratic strategist Evan Barker simply asking “WHHHYYY.”

In 2022, Los Angeles County passed a formal “land acknowledgement” measure naming several Native tribes as the previous owners of the land on which the city was built.

“The County of Los Angeles recognizes that we occupy land originally and still inhabited and cared for by the Tongva, Tataviam, Serrano, Kizh, and Chumash Peoples,” the measure reads, in part. “We honor and pay respect to their elders and descendants past, present, and emerging as they continue their stewardship of these lands and waters.”

At the 97th Oscars, hosted by Conan O’Brien, the big winner of the night was the comedy-drama film “Anora,” which took home the most awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, for five total wins. The historical drama film “The Brutalist” won three awards, including Best Actor for Adrien Brody, his second Oscar win. The science fiction epic “Dune: Part Two,” the musical fantasy “Wicked,” and the widely-panned transgender film “Emilia Perez” all won two awards each.