In other cases, land acknowledgments might refer to stolen land a seemingly well-intentioned phrase designed to convey how Native people were driven from their homes. The statement serves as a reminder that the land we occupy is stolen and that we should honor the Land Acknowledgement Statement Oakland University resides on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabe, known as the Three Fires Confederacy, comprised of the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi. WebOne example of an opening land acknowledgement was: We acknowledge that The University of Michigan, named for Michigami, the worlds largest freshwater system and located in the Huron River watershed, was formed and has grown through connections with the land stewarded by the Niswi Ishkodewan Anishinaabeg: The Three Fires People who In AIIS, we push Michigan State University to recruit, retain, and support American Indian and Indigenous students, faculty, and staff. This map represents the location and geographic spread of the entities analyzed through the survey. WebA Land Acknowledgment is a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories. Start working together, Rajaee said. And to fully fund them not ask Native faculty to beg for support Allies need to step up and take on that work. Here is an additional example of a Duwamish land acknowledgement painted on the side of Seattle Mennonite Church in North Seattle: We at Seattle Mennonite church acknowledge that we are on the unceded ancestral lands of the Duwamish people. During the past several months, a group of faculty, students and administrators have collaborated to draft the Land Acknowledgement Statement. Individually, Id been thinking about this for a couple years before this before we started working together so there are folks who care about similar issues. We recognize, support, and advocate for the sovereignty of Michigans twelve federally-recognized Indian nations, for historic Indigenous communities in Michigan, for Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and for those who were forcibly removed from their Homelands. 2. Taking from our roots as a Mercy and Jesuit university, we are committed to justice and reconciliation for our Native neighbors. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Having a Land Acknowledgement is only one step toward building relationships with Native communities. Universities around the state and country have issued similar land acknowledgement statements. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. As one of the first Land Grant colleges, Michigan State University is a beneficiary of Land allotted through the passing of the Morrill Act in 1862. "The problem is that there are people, groups, institutions and systems that are benefiting from the continued land dispossession of Indigenous peoples while making territorial acknowledgments.". We had to get language from them we had to hear what they wanted from land acknowledgements. This moment that connected Maudrie, Knutson and Assistant Professor of Public Health Mozhgon Rajaee occurred in August of 2019. "A land acknowledgement is an optional statement, often given at the beginning of organized events, celebrations and activities, or published in printed materials," according to the Native American Institute within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University . Furthermore, it is a way to show respect and gratitude to the traditional stewards of a specific location, while recognizing that colonialism is still an ongoing process. In AIIS, we push Michigan State University to recruit, retain, and support American Indian and Indigenous students, faculty, and staff. We want our schools to be a safe haven for us it didnt feel safe for me as an Indigenous person, because [this] piece was missing.. Acknowledgement is a simple way of resisting the erasure of Indigenous histories and working towards honoring and inviting the truth. Jeff Thomas, Editor-in-ChiefJune 30, 2021. Tangible commitments like displaying the statement on OU websites, integrating it into courses and delivering the land acknowledgement statement at events were all outlined in the email. But the map only includes the names of those tribes, without the history or context around potentially contested claims to the land. The University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. We affirm and acknowledge the Burt Lake Band, who were literally burned from their houses in 1900. Right now the administration is working on completing and expanding those goals. Again, thank you to the faculty for driving this initiative, pushing for greater recognition and equity for Native peoples, engaging in our broader community, and for being invaluable partners in the ongoing development of our university. -Laurier Students Public Interest Research Group, Ontario, Canada. Land dispossession is continuing, he adds. Although land acknowledgements are powerful statements, they are only meaningful when they are coupled with authentic and sustained relationships with Indigenous communities and community-informed actions. This statement serves as both a reminder and a call to action to promote practices and policies that bring about equity and advancement for all people on our campus, in our community, and the world. Land Acknowledgement Statement Oakland University resides on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabe, known as the Three Fires Confederacy, comprised of the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi. 2:08 PM EST, Mon November 22, 2021. "You can have the nicest, most beautiful and most respectful land acknowledgment of all time but if you have no actions to back up your words, then why are you bothering?" MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. The university resides on land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw.. We took a draft and we shared it with [Indigenous] folks and then got feedback and made modifications.. If you are looking to make your own land acknowledgement, please use this example to construct your own: I would like to acknowledge that we are on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past and present and honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe. It is important to note that this kind of acknowledgement is not a new practice developed by colonial institutions. We recognize Michigans 12 federally recognized Native Nations, historic Indigenous communities in Michigan, Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and those who were forcibly removed from their homelands. This acknowledgment may be written or may be spoken at the beginning of an event or program, showing a specific commitment to restorative justice (please read the recommended articles). (Native Lands Digital, which did not immediately respond to questions from CNN, says in a disclaimer on the site that the map is not perfect and is a work in progress.) Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Eds. There was no draft that was signed off on without it going back to our committee, Knutson said. The statement will be displayed on the OU website, eventually integrated into courses on American history, politics, and culture, and, whenever appropriate, delivered at events. King wants to see institutions, organizations, or whoever plans on making a land acknowledgment to collaborate with and support Indigenous communities. If we can understand that, I think the rest will come.. Hayden King, who is Anishinaabe fromBeausoleil First Nation in Ontario,helped write Ryerson University's land acknowledgment in 2012. To him, that language obscures the fact that tribal nations were sovereign over those lands and that they werent just caretakers. The group initially saw this as an encouraging sign, but they soon found that some non-Native people expected them to do the work for them for free. Hours, Directions & Parking By clicking on each plotted point, you can access basic Land Acknowledgement data: This map represents the location and geographic spread of the entities analyzed through the survey. Indigenous people across the US want their land back -- and the movement is gaining momentum, If theyre going to acknowledge what happened in the transfer of this land from Indian to non-Indian control, there has to be some proactive action on the part of the institution for the aggrieved group, he said. Some of the tribes listed are functionally extinct, he says, and are grouped in with nations that continue to exist in the area. The Stanford Native American Cultural Centerdescribes the history of the land where the main campus was built as well as information about the current presences of different tribal members on campus. King wants to see institutions, organizations, or whoever plans on making a land acknowledgment to collaborate with and support Indigenous communities. Their voices lifted the project but there was still more to do. This statement can be present in your syllabus, read before presentations, or events. For non-Indigenous communities, land acknowledgement is a powerful way of showing respect and honoring the Indigenous Peoples of the land on which we work and live. 48309-4454 There has to be absolute action behind it," she said. She then sent it to me I posted it on Facebook, and thats when Professor Rajaee responded telling me Tara was a student of hers and that we should talk about getting it formally adopted.. A land acknowledgement can be a few sentences or several pages. Together we crafted the Land Acknowledgement to accurately reflect the violences perpetuated against Native and Indigenous Peoples of what is currently called Michigan, and intend it to stand as both a clear recognition of those atrocities, and a promise of better and different relationships with local tribes and the land by [OU].. In an era of reconciliation, land acknowledgments are meant to recognize First Nations, Inuit and Mtis territory, but many Indigenous people argue theyve grown to become superficial, performative and problematic. WebResource Map - Land Acknowledgements. It feels like a box checking activity, like people are doing it to signal their politics, says Len Necefer, an Indigenous studies scholar and founder and CEO of the apparel and media company NativesOutdoors. It was presented to the OU Board of Trustees at their April 8 meeting. "There's a sort of historical untangling that's required to do this right, well and in a genuine way," he said. We invite the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability community to actively participate in these acts of respect, by getting to know better the history and present context of the Indigenous communities of the land where you live, study, and work. I also think that we are exploring, putting a [permanent plaque of the acknowledgement] in a very public place so that it helps the community understand where we come from.. (248) 370-3496 It comes across as a very painful denial of exactly what happened.. -Laurier Students Public Interest Research Group, Ontario, Canada. What's wrong with land acknowledgments, and how to make them better | CBC News Loaded. We want to acknowledge the history and land, and honour the Indigenous people who continue to love this land here in Waawiyatanong (Detroit, Michigan). WebOne example of an opening land acknowledgement was: We acknowledge that The University of Michigan, named for Michigami, the worlds largest freshwater system and located in the Huron River watershed, was formed and has grown through connections with the land stewarded by the Niswi Ishkodewan Anishinaabeg: The Three Fires People who If spoken, the order should be: (1) Welcome and words about the event, (2) Land Acknowledgment and specific relations to individual or collective actions, (3) Move into thescheduled program. oakland university school of health sciences. WebWe recognize that Land Acknowledgements must be preceded and followed with ongoing and unwavering commitments to American Indian and Indigenous communities. The importance of land acknowledgments for non-indigenous individuals and communities relies on the recognition of their relationship to the original inhabitants of a location and to the land. When we die, we return to the land and turn into the trees, rocks, and water that once gave us life, he wrote in Outside. For universities, it might be offering free tuition for Indigenous students, and for corporations, it might be committing to hire Native people in leadership positions. Consistent with our values of community and inclusion, we have a responsibility to acknowledge, honor and makevisible the universitys relationship to Native peoples. Its an imperfect tool, Necefer says. With such emphasis and weight behind each individual word, Knutson referred to the multi-year writing process as the most intense work with language that shed ever done. It's something he saidhe now regrets. We have to understand what it is. After all, when did celebrating birthdays became a thing? In what Campus Communications deemed an explicit gesture intended to cultivate a mutually beneficial dialogue, Oakland University officially adopted the OU Land Acknowledgement Statement last month. University of Detroit Mercy, a Catholic university in the Jesuit and Mercy traditions, 4001 W. McNichols Road Detroit, MI 48221-3038, Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Land acknowledgements also raise awareness about the Indigenous histories, perspectives and experiences that are often suppressed or forgotten. Further, we recognize the wrongs done to those forcibly removed from their Homelands and commit to fostering an environment of inclusion that is responsive to the needs of First Peoples through our words, policies, and actions.The preservation and perpetuation of customs and traditions of Indigenous nations are essential to our shared cultural heritage. The Land Acknowledgement Committee worked with Deans Joe Shively and Kevin Corcoran in the College of Arts and Sciences, Faculty Senate, and the DEI Office, Peiser said. Maudrie had graduated at that point, so Knutson and Rajaee took the next steps of bringing Indigenous voices into the process of progressing the land acknowledgement. ) We promise to do a better job in the future, says Lambert, who is an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. MI At every stage, whatever happened to it, whether it was a minor tweak, or a sort of bigger reorganization everybody understood that no draft moved forward without the okay of our committee.. In particular, the university resides on land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. By clicking on each plotted point, you can access basic Land Acknowledgement data: -The Institution's/Entity's Name. WebResource Map - Land Acknowledgements. By officially enacting the acknowledgement on May 5, OU joins a number of public institutions across the country in this step toward the inclusion of Indigenous communities. Eds. The formal and public acknowledgement is an explicit gesture intended to cultivate a mutually beneficial dialogue, which is an essential feature in building an inclusive campus community. By officially enacting the acknowledgement on May 5, OU joins anumber of public institutions across the country in this step toward the inclusion of Indigenous communities. She views them asopening the door toward decolonizing practices, reconciliation, or bridging awareness into action. There's much more to just words.". Deel-McKenzie says a land acknowledgment should be seen as a first step one that must be followed by a call to action. Build real, authentic relationships with Indigenous people. -The Title and/or Text of the Land Acknowledgement (if applicable). Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. By clicking on each plotted point, you can access basic Land Acknowledgement data: -The Institution's/Entity's Name. Its a view shared by many Indigenous scholars and activists, though they might have different ideas on what constitutes sufficient action. She is currently a reporter with CBC Indigenous covering communities across Quebec. Web*Land acknowledgement: Detroit occupies the contemporary and ancestral homelands of three Anishinaabe nations of the Council of Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi. The importance of land acknowledgments for non-indigenous individuals and communities relies on the recognition of their relationship to the original inhabitants of a location and to the land. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. Deel-McKenzie says a land acknowledgment should be seen as a first step one that must be followed by a call to action. Its important people understand that when you put that upon Indigenous people, it can create a lot of additional stress on Native peoples and Native organizations., Larry Chavis, former director of UNCs American Indian Center, put it like this at a faculty council meeting after being asked to write a land acknowledgment for the university: Its like me writing my own thank you note for a gift that was taken from me.. The exercise felt uncomfortable and awkward, Necefer wrote in Outside magazine. -The Institution's/Entity's Name Build real, authentic relationships with Indigenous people. WebThe purpose of a land acknowledgement is to recognize, respect and affirm the ongoing relationship between Indigenous people and the land. We recognize that settler and Indigenous signatories understood the terms of the treaties in starkly different terms. Many people who use the app tend to approach it as the endpoint rather than the starting point, he adds. When it comes to action, Kahsennoktha George wants to see companies and institutions participating in systemic change. CBC Indigenous spoke with five First Nations people about the issues they see, what they expect when others make land acknowledgmentsand advice on how they can ring less hollow. Even though they're called land or territorial acknowledgments, Nahanee said using the phrase "Iacknowledge" canimplythat it's not true. It could involve showing up to demonstrations led by Indigenous people in the area. Can you help us research? she says. This is how the land acknowledgement started, we started talking together. WebThe Universitys endowment was originally funded in significant measure by sale of land granted under Article 16 of the 1817 Treaty of the Foot of the Rapids, also known as the Treaty of Ft. Meigs. Following the 2018 LMDA conference in Toronto -- Discovery Company. The best way to create an appropriate land acknowledgement is to consult and collaborate local Tribal leaders, which Stanford University has donethrough the Native American Cultural Center, the university archaeologist's office, and the university president's office. This land was and continues to be of great importance to the Ohlone people. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade just featured a native land acknowledgment. Address: 4705 W Marginal Way SW, Seattle, WA 98106, Tuesday 10AM5PMWednesday 10AM5PMThursday 10AM5PMFriday 10AM5PMSaturday 10AM5PMSunday ClosedMonday Closed. Likewise, we recognize that parts of what is now Michigan includes Land within the traditional Homelands of the Miami, Meskwaki, Sauk, Kickapoo, Menominee, and other Indigenous nations. Rochester , Another issue Lambert sees in some land acknowledgments is that they can suggest Indigenous peoples and by extension, issues of land dispossession are a relic of the past, when Native communities are living many of these realities today. This is important when extending and personalizing a given acknowledgment statement. By clicking on each plotted point, you can access basic Land Acknowledgement data: -The Institution's/Entity's Name. "A land acknowledgement is an optional statement, often given at the beginning of organized events, celebrations and activities, or published in printed materials," according to the Native American Institute within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University . There are hundreds of Indigenous communities across the United States. WebFor non-Indigenous communities, land acknowledgement is a powerful way of showing respect and honoring the Indigenous Peoples of the land on which we work and live. 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