The Last Best Store stands in solidarity with the Indigenous people of Montana, and Turtle Island (North America) more broadly. Our store, production facilities, homes, and other places of personal and professional significance reside on the traditional lands of many Indigenous peoples, including the Selis (Salish), Ksanka (Kootenai), and Qlispe (Kalispel). Other Indigenous peoples—including the Amskapi Pikuni (Blackfeet), Nimiipuu (Nez Perce), Shoshone, Bannock, and Schitsu'umsh (Coeur D'Alene)—also relied upon their traditional knowledge and relationships with this land in the past, and continue to do so today.

Many of us at The Last Best Store were born and raised in Missoula, MT—known to the Selis as Nłʔáyčstm (Place of the Small Bull Trout)—and have genuine respect for the land and diverse peoples of our home. It pains us to acknowledge that education, health, and legal systems in the United States have led to the direct removal, oppression, and marginalization of Indigenous peoples throughout Montana and the nation, but we cannot ignore this history and its contemporary implications. Simultaneously, The Last Best Store seeks to emphasize the strength, vibrancy, and resiliency of Indigenous peoples by promoting Indigenous artists and art, whenever possible. We thereby hope to amplify the voices and work of Indigenous peoples through our collections, and remain open to partnering with Indigenous-led community organizations through our merchandise-based fundraising program.

[Adapted from the University of MT School of Public and Community Health Sciences website, penned/ edited by Prof. Annie Belcourt and other Indigenous scholars at UM. For more information about the limits of land acknowledgements, see this article in Sapiens.]