About ASHE Land Acknowledgments

Resources and Recommendations for Creating Land Acknowledgements

By: The ASHE Land Acknowledgement Working Group (LAWG) (2020)

Through collaborative efforts, the ASHE Land Acknowledgement Working Group (LAWG), also known as the ASHE Indigenous Scholars Collective, has developed the resources and guidelines on this webpage for the ASHE community as members strive to learn about and craft land acknowledgments at their home institutions, go about working with Indigenous communities, and prepare for ASHE conference meetings. These guidelines are perhaps especially important this year as the ASHE annual conference moves to an online format. While we may join each other from what may seem to be “neutral” virtual space, we do so while rooted by diverse lands, each with their own names, histories, and relationships.

In developing land acknowledgments and working with Indigenous people and communities, please keep these guiding values in mind:

  • Indigenous peoples are present and alive, not relics of history.
    Land and Indigenous peoples’ relationships to land guide Indigenous processes.
  • Tribal communities are diverse and should be consulted for cultural protocols of land acknowledgment and gift protocols.
  • Some lands are the ancestral homelands to more than one tribal community.
  • Though Indigenous communities may face many disparities, they also carry many strengths. In working with Indigenous communities, it is important that both disparities AND strengths are recognized.

While developing land acknowledgments, please engage in critical reflection on:

  • How your upbringing (home-life, educational, ancestral) experiences inform your relationship to land.
  • How your knowledge of the history of your campus and the roles you play on campus could inform your land acknowledgment.
  • How the conference theme and conference location intersects with land acknowledgment practices.

Such processes of “land reflection” are critical to working toward land acknowledgment.

If you are new to land acknowledgment, look for reputable resources of information:

  • Visit native-land.ca to get started with identifying the Indigenous tribes and peoples of the area in which you live and/or work.
  • Search the websites of your institution or of other local organizations to see if they have developed land acknowledgments you can learn from and adapt.
  • Visit the websites of Indigenous nation(s) and organizations local to the area in which you live and/or work to learn more.

When developing your own land acknowledgment statement to preface a presentation or webinar, know that there is not one way wrong or right way to do it. While your stated land acknowledgment may be brief, the reflection and intention came before it is what is most important. Some possible ways to incorporate a brief land acknowledgment in your presentation could include:

  • Incorporate your land acknowledgment into your personal introduction, e.g., “My name is [Full name] and I am a [position] at [institution name], which sits on the ancestral lands of the [local Indigenous nation(s)].”
  • Create a slide (perhaps with a photo) that speaks to the history, original name, or another aspect of the land that you are joining from.
  • Recognize the original people(s) of the land that you’re on and speak to your own relationship of the land that you’re on, including how you may benefit from it.
  • Look for other examples that resonate with you.

Remember that developing a land acknowledgment should be only part of a larger process of working toward decolonization. To continue this work, please consider:

  • Bringing the practice of “land reflection” to your colleagues and other organizations you may work with.
  • Building relationships with community members who have experience in land acknowledgment. The building process should be reciprocal, not extractive. After building relationships, offer a stipend(s) and/or other forms of reciprocation to community members who participate in land acknowledgment practices.

Below, are several resources, including articles and podcasts, that can be used for learning more about the purposes and limits of land acknowledgments. Please note that this list is not exhaustive.

Allan, B., Perreault, A., Chenoweth, J., Biin, D., Hobenshield, S., Ormiston, T… & Wilson, J. (2018). Understanding territorial acknowledgment as a respectful relationship. In Pulling together: A guide for teachers and instructors. Victoria, BC: BCcampus. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/indigenizationinstructors/chapter/understanding-territorial-acknowledgement-as-a-respectful-relationship/

Amnesty International Canada (2017, September 1). Activism skills: Land and territory acknowledgment. [web log comment]. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.ca/blog/activism-skills-land-and-territory-acknowledgement

âpihtawikosisân. (2016, September 23). Beyond territorial acknowledgments. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from https://apihtawikosisan.com/2016/09/beyond-territorial-acknowledgments/

Asher, L., Curnow, J., & Davis, A. (2018). The limits of settlers’ territorial acknowledgments. Curriculum Inquiry, 48(3), 316-334.

Canada Association of University Teachers (nd). Guide to Acknowledging First Peoples and traditional territory. Retrieved from https://www.caut.ca/content/guide-acknowledging-first-peoples-traditional-territory

Deerchild, R. (Host) (2019, January 20). 'I regret it': Hayden King on writing Ryerson University's territorial acknowledgment. Unreserved. Podcast retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/redrawing-the-lines-1.4973363/i-regret-it-hayden-king-on-writing-ryerson-university-s-territorial-acknowledgement-1.4973371

Flournoy, A. (2016, December 31). What does it mean to acknowledge the past? The New York Times. Retrieved from  https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/31/opinion/sunday/what-does-it-mean-to-acknowledge-the-past.html

Friedler, D. (2018, February 8). Indigenous land acknowledgment, explained. Teen Vogue. Retrieved from https://www.teenvogue.com/story/indigenous-land-acknowledgement-explained

Keefe, T. E. (2019). Land acknowledgment: A trend in higher education and nonprofit organizations. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33681.07521

Luna Jimenez Institute (2018, October 8). Acknowledging the original people of this land. [web log comment]. Retrieved from https://ljist.com/featured/acknowledging-native-land/ (As of Feb. 2025, inactive or lost web page. Try using Internet Archive).

Native Land (nd). Why acknowledge territory? [web log comment] Retrieved from https://native-land.ca/resources/territory-acknowledgement

Reese, D. (2019, March 9). Are you planning to do a land acknowledgment? [web log comment]. Retrieved from https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2019/03/are-you-planning-to-do-land.html

Robinson, D., Hill, K. J. C., Ruffo, A. G., Couture, S., & Ravensbergen, L. C. (2019). Rethinking the practice and performance of Indigenous land acknowledgment. Canadian Theatre Review, 177(1), 20-30.

2018 ACPA Convention (2018, February 15). Centering the land: The importance of acknowledging Indigenous land and lifeways. [web log comment]. Retrieved from http://convention.myacpa.org/houston2018/centering-land-importance/ (As of Feb. 2025, inactive or lost web page. Try using Internet Archive or see also "A Bold Vision Forward" by ACPA[.pdf]: https://myacpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/SIRJD_GuidingDoc2.pdf).

US Department of Arts & Culture (nd). Honor Native land: A guide and call to acknowledgment. Retrieved from https://usdac.us/nativeland

Winsa, P. (2017, December 17).  Are Indigenous acknowledgments a step forward or an empty gesture? The Star. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/are-indigenous-acknowledgements-a-step-forward-or-an-empty-gesture/article_03786ea1-d38f-5187-8612-8367a4c2eeb4.html


Many thanks to the ASHE Land Acknowledgement Working Group for this work:

  • Theresa Ambo (San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians, Gabrieliño/Tongva, & Tohono Oʻodham)
  • Nizhoni Chow-Garcia (Diné)
  • Charlotte Davidson (Diné/Three Affiliated Tribes - Mandan, Hidatsa, & Arikara)
  • Karen Francis-Begay (Navajo)
  • Breanna Faris (Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes)
  • Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Punihei Lipe (Native Hawaiian)
  • Jameson Lopez (Quechan)
  • Robin Zape-tah-hol-ah Minthorn (Kiowa/Apache/Nez Perce/Umatilla/Assiniboine)
  • Catherine Montoya (Diné)
  • Christine Nelson (Diné/K’awaika)
  • Nicole “Coco” Reyes (Kanaka ʻŌiwi)
  • Charlie A. Scott (Diné)
  • Tiffany Smith (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma/Muscogee (Creek)
  • Heather J. Shotton (Wichita/Kiowa/Cheyenne)
  • Amanda Tachine (Navajo)
  • Stephanie Waterman (Onondaga - Turtle Clan)

If you have questions or updates, please contact ASHE staff at office@ashe.ws.


Note: At the time of writing for this resource, "land acknowledgements" with an 'e' between the 'g' and 'm' was used. Grammatically, both 'acknowledgements' and 'acknowledgments' with no 'e' are accepted. The former is used primarily in the United Kingdom while as the latter is used in the United States. This document is presented as written with the 'e' but the overall title and additional web page content will reflect the US version 'acknowledgment'. In addition, this may appear throughout the archive of 2019 to current content related to this topic as it they written by various groups and contexts. 


Land Acknowledgments by Year

As we gather for the ASHE 2024 Conference, it is important to acknowledge that we are currently on the traditional ancestral homeland of the Dakhóta Oyáte (Dakota people), the original inhabitants and stewards of the land and waterways of Minneapolis, MN.

Map of Native American Land Cessions and Reservations to 1858. In "Territorial Imperative: How Minnesota Became the 32nd State," by Rhoda Gilman (Making Minnesota Territory 1849–1858; Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1999).
Map of Native American Land Cessions and Reservations to 1858. In "Territorial Imperative: How Minnesota Became the 32nd State," by Rhoda Gilman (Making Minnesota Territory 1849–1858; Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1999).

The cultural history of the Dakota people begins at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, a sacred place they call Bdóte, and is shared with the Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe) people, whose homelands extend northward from the city.

The land of the Dakota and Ojibwe people that now comprises the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area was unfairly ceded through the major land cessions that coincided with the collapse of the fur trade. The Treaties of 1837 and 1851 with the Dakota people and the treaties of 1837 and 1855 with the Ojibwe people delivered unfulfilled promises of future payments of cash, goods, timber and land rights in exchange for the majority of land ownership in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.

In addition to the Dakota and Ojibwe people, the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area is home to one of the largest and most tribally diverse urban American Indian populations, numbering well over 35,000. The size of the Twin Cities’ indigenous population boomed as a result of the 1956 Indian Relocation Act which defunded many reservation services and paid for relocation expenses to the cities in an attempt to assimilate the country’s indigenous peoples.

Minnesota comes from the Dakota name for the area, Mni Sota Makoce — ‘the land where the waters reflect the skies.” Today, Minnesota shares geography with eleven Tribal Nations, in addition to the Ho-Chunk, Cheyenne, Oto, Iowa, Hidatsa, Arikara, A’aninin, Cree, Blackfeet, Assiniboine, and the Sac and Fox tribes all who also acknowledge Minnesota as important to their tribal histories.

We ask conference attendees to take time to reflect and acknowledge the land and resources we are using to sustain ourselves during the conference. We also ask attendees to devote time to learning about the histories and the experiences of the Dakota people in the Minneapolis area.

We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and settler colonialism that continues to impact Native and Indigenous communities today and how settler colonial logics are presently embedded in educational structures, policies, curriculum and procedures.

By offering this land acknowledgement, we affirm tribal sovereignty. We hold ourselves accountable as postsecondary educators to recognize and counter the historical and contemporary injustices, violence and inequity that continue to impact Indigenous people today. We commit ourselves to support movements of Indigenous sovereignty through mutually beneficial partnerships, research, policies, and practices in the field of higher education and beyond.

References

Chosa, M. (2020, March 13). On this day: 1855 treaty signed between United States and Ojibwe bands. Leech Lake News. https://www.leechlakenews.com/2018/02/22/day-1855-treaty-signed-united-states-ojibwe-bands/

Nunpa, C. M. (2004). Dakota Commemorative March: thoughts and reactions. American Indian Quarterly, 216-237.

Why Treaties Matter (2023). Land cession treaties. Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. http://treatiesmatter.org/treaties/land

As we gather for the ASHE 2024 Conference, it is important to acknowledge that we are currently on the traditional ancestral homeland of the Dakhóta Oyáte (Dakota people), the original inhabitants and stewards of the land and waterways of Minneapolis, MN.

Map of Native American Land Cessions and Reservations to 1858. In "Territorial Imperative: How Minnesota Became the 32nd State," by Rhoda Gilman (Making Minnesota Territory 1849–1858; Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1999).
Map of Native American Land Cessions and Reservations to 1858. In "Territorial Imperative: How Minnesota Became the 32nd State," by Rhoda Gilman (Making Minnesota Territory 1849–1858; Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1999).

The cultural history of the Dakota people begins at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, a sacred place they call Bdóte, and is shared with the Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe) people, whose homelands extend northward from the city.

The land of the Dakota and Ojibwe people that now comprises the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area was unfairly ceded through the major land cessions that coincided with the collapse of the fur trade. The Treaties of 1837 and 1851 with the Dakota people and the treaties of 1837 and 1855 with the Ojibwe people delivered unfulfilled promises of future payments of cash, goods, timber and land rights in exchange for the majority of land ownership in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.

In addition to the Dakota and Ojibwe people, the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area is home to one of the largest and most tribally diverse urban American Indian populations, numbering well over 35,000. The size of the Twin Cities’ indigenous population boomed as a result of the 1956 Indian Relocation Act which defunded many reservation services and paid for relocation expenses to the cities in an attempt to assimilate the country’s indigenous peoples.

Minnesota comes from the Dakota name for the area, Mni Sota Makoce — ‘the land where the waters reflect the skies.” Today, Minnesota shares geography with eleven Tribal Nations, in addition to the Ho-Chunk, Cheyenne, Oto, Iowa, Hidatsa, Arikara, A’aninin, Cree, Blackfeet, Assiniboine, and the Sac and Fox tribes all who also acknowledge Minnesota as important to their tribal histories.

We ask conference attendees to take time to reflect and acknowledge the land and resources we are using to sustain ourselves during the conference. We also ask attendees to devote time to learning about the histories and the experiences of the Dakota people in the Minneapolis area.

We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and settler colonialism that continues to impact Native and Indigenous communities today and how settler colonial logics are presently embedded in educational structures, policies, curriculum and procedures.

By offering this land acknowledgment, we affirm tribal sovereignty. We hold ourselves accountable as postsecondary educators to recognize and counter the historical and contemporary injustices, violence and inequity that continue to impact Indigenous people today. We commit ourselves to support movements of Indigenous sovereignty through mutually beneficial partnerships, research, policies, and practices in the field of higher education and beyond.


Reflection on Minneapolis

Written by Jamaica DelMar and J.D. Lopez (Quechan), Local and Community Engagement Committee Co-Chairs

We are honored to carry on the meaningful work of the Local and Community Engagement Committee (LCEC), which was formalized into committee under the leadership of ASHE President, Dr. D-L Stewart and led by Drs. Awilda Rodriguez and Heather Shotton (Wichita & Affiliated Tribes, Kiowa, and Cheyenne) in 2021. The inaugural committee facilitated deep place-based learning through intentional conversations, through virtual pre-conference learning opportunities, the development of culturally grounded syllabi, land acknowledgments, and decolonizing tours. Their work provided an excellent service for the ASHE membership and a strong foundation for the 2022 LCEC led by Drs. Chris A. Nelson (Laguna Pueblo and Diné) and Magdalena Martinez.

Indeed, the 2022 LCEC’s work included another powerful syllabus, a carefully coordinated visit to a People of Color-owned art studio and community center, and an informative Presidential Session.

The 2023 ASHE Annual Conference will be held on the traditional homelands of the Dakota/Lakota/Nakota and Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) in the city of Minneapolis (Dakota “minne” meaning water + Greek “opolis” meaning city), the state of Minnesota (Mni-sota makoce, Dakota for land of smokey water). The Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) are home to a diverse community including the largest Karen (South Myanmar) and Somali populations in the U.S., the second largest Hmong population, and significant indigenous and Mexican populations call the Twin Cities home, along with many others.

As the 2023 Co-Chairs, we gratefully embrace and build on the paths set before us. We plan to offer opportunities that facilitate place-based awareness through locally-based learning experiences. Thus, while cold temperatures and Prince’s Purple Rain may come to mind before advocacy and activism, as LCEC Co-Chairs, we want to highlight that the Twin Cities metro area has long been a site for those whose interests lie in fighting for equity. For example, in response to discrimination and decades of inequitable Federal Indian policy, the American Indian Movement (AIM) was formed in Minneapolis in 1968 and soon became a nationwide movement. AIM members came together in Minneapolis and elsewhere to discuss the critical issues restraining their lives and to take control of their destinies.

We look forward to collectively learning and sharing more about how the AIM movement addressed the reclamation of land, fought against high unemployment, slum housing, and broken treaty rights—all perpetuated by racism. Minneapolis, as we will all learn, is a space of radical coalition. For example, activist groups including the abolition work of MPD150, Communities United Against Police Brutality, and Black Lives Matter Minnesota, have followed and worked with AIM’s fight for social justice.

It is important to note that this racial justice work has been ongoing since and even before the 1960s. However, the recent murders of Philando Castile (2016) and George Floyd (2020) among others brought heightened attention to the injustices forced on communities of color in Minnesota.

Keeping all of this in our minds and hearts has led us to think more about: What is higher education’s role in creating and sharing knowledge that can be used to advocate for justice in the communities where we live, work, and visit? How do we ensure that our research is helpful, not harmful and not extractive? How can we make our work relevant to practitioners who are leading the fights for justice in our communities?

It is with these questions in mind that we plan to shape the activities of the 2023 LCEC. We encourage 2023 ASHE conference proposal submitters and attendees to be purposeful and consider how higher education can be used to advocate for equity and justice. While we want everyone to enjoy the beautiful city of Minneapolis, let’s not forget that it is home to some of the greatest racial disparities and a long ongoing fight for racial justice in the country.

As we gather for the ASHE 2022 Conference, consider taking some time to learn, reflect, and acknowledge that the land and resources we are using to sustain ourselves rightfully belong to Indigenous Peoples who continue to live and thrive all around the Southern Nevada area. We are upon the sacred ancestral land of the Nuwu - Southern Paiute, Wa She Shu - Washoe, Numu - Northern Paiute, Nuwe - Western Shoshone, Hualapai, and Chemehuevi; people who live and thrive all around the state of Nevada. We also highlight and uplift all of Nevada’s 27 sovereign tribal nations.

We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and settler colonialism that continues to impact Native & Indigenous communities today, and we honor the past, present, and future stewards of this land. We offer gratitude for the land, for those who have stewarded it for generations, and for the opportunity to study, learn, work, and be in community with this land.

We encourage everyone in this space to engage in continued learning about the Indigenous peoples who work and live on this land since time immemorial, including the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe and the Moapa Band of Paiutes, and about the historical and present realities of colonialism.

The Las Vegas Pauite Tribe is descended from the Tudinu or "Desert People", ancestors of most of the tribes of Southern Paiutes whose traditional territory is the lower Colorado River valley as well as the mountains and arroyos of the Mojave Desert in Nevada, California, and Utah. Petroglyphs dating back thousands of years can be found in Red Rock, Valley of Fire, Sloan Canyon, and other locations throughout Southern Nevada.

Beginning in the early 19th century non-native settlers moved into the area, resulting in the displacement of local tribes from both its water-rich lowland winter and tree-rich mountainous summer campgrounds. The annexation of the state of Nevada in 1864, missions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the building of the railroad through the western United States, and the creation of the town of Las Vegas adjacent to the region's most significant water source all led to the relocation of the Southern Paiutes.

Seeing the tribe's dispossession, on December 30, 1911, Helen J. Stewart, owner of the pre-railroad Las Vegas Rancho, deeded 10 acres of spring-fed downtown Las Vegas land to the Paiute peoples, creating the Las Vegas Indian Colony. Until 1983 this was the tribe's only communal land, forming a small "town within a town" in downtown Las Vegas. The tribe ratified their constitution and bylaws on July 22, 1970 and were federally recognized, under the Indian Reorganization Act.

In 1983, Congress returned to the tribe 3,800 acres (1,500 ha) of land between the eastern slopes of Mount Charleston in the Spring Mountains and the western flanks of the Sheep Range. This land is known as the Snow Mountain Reservation of the Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians.

Today, the Nuwu continue to traverse and steward the land of the greater Nevada area with other Indigenous communities, such as the Wa She Shu (Washoe), Numu (Northern Paiutes), and the Newe (Western Shoshone).

The Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians currently operates a minimart, a cannabis dispensary, two smoke shops, a health and human services program, the Las Vegas Paiute Police Department, and the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort. The tribe hosts the Annual Snow Mountain Pow Wow every Memorial Day weekend.

In 2017, the Moapa Band of Paiutes established the first utility-scale solar project to be located on North American tribal lands and is anticipated to evolve as a model for similar future economic and environmental partnerships.

Additionally, the Las Vegas Valley is home to many urban Indigenous community members who consistently fight for Indigenous representation and sovereignty.

Written by Awilda Rodriguez, Enid Rosario Ramos, and Heather Shotton (ASHE 2021 Local and Community Engagement Committee)

This year we are traveling to San Juan, Puerto Rico, a site that has and continues to be contested for what is now over five centuries. As the longest existing colony in the world, Puerto Rico was colonized by the Spanish in 1493. The set of islands (an archipelago that includes what is currently known as Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, and other uninhabited islands), was called “Boriken” by its Indigenous Taíno inhabitants, meaning “land of the great lords.” Through disease and the violence of enslavement, the population of Taínos dramatically decreased shortly after the arrival of the Spanish, although there are accounts that many fled to the mountainous interior of the island.

In order to advance their colonial project, the Spanish brought the first enslaved African people to work the mines and later sugar cane fields. In addition to Europeans, the influence of both the Taíno and West African cultures can be seen in the food, language, and music in present-day Puerto Rico.

In 1898, US forces landed on the southern coast of Puerto Rico in Guánica and claimed the former Spanish colony as their spoils in the Spanish-American War for its strategic position in the Caribbean. Puerto Rico’s relationship to the United States, rooted in colony and empire, would remain contested as policymakers grappled with the legal status of an unincorporated territory that was “belonging to…but not part of the United States”[i] and that was “foreign to the United States in a domestic sense.”[ii] At the same time, a nationalist movement fought for Puerto Rico’s independence as a continuation of the struggle from autonomy from Spain.

Puerto Ricans would receive U.S. citizenship in 1917, with the intention that Puerto Rico serve as the democratic example in the Caribbean. However, the President of the United States appointed its governor until 1948. The higher education system in Puerto Rico was set up to mirror that of the U.S. In 2018-19, about 236,000 students were enrolled across 137 institutions—greater than 12 states.[iii] As U.S. citizens, students are entitled to Title IV funding, including Pell. With comparatively low tuition and fees ($3,620 at University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras in 2019-20), Pell grants were able to fully cover tuition at the flagship institution.

In addition to having a sizeable higher education system, many of the four-year institutions are top producers of Latinx STEM degrees in the U.S.[iv]

The issues of sovereignty and status are far from resolved, however. In 2014 and under the weight of onerous decades-old fiscal policies, Puerto Rico’s governor announced its $72 billion debt was “not payable.”[v] To address the fiscal insolvency of Puerto Rico, in 2016, the United States Congress imposed a fiscal oversight board, the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico (aka La Junta), that holds authority over Puerto Rico’s budget and financial decisions. The creation of this unelected board has amplified and made painfully visible Puerto Rico’s colonial status. Indeed, Puerto Rico’s higher education system is the only in the United States that is under US Congressional rule.

The U.S. government’s underwhelming and irresponsible response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and earthquakes in 2019 have further underscored Puerto Rican’s limited citizenship and status within a U.S. context. As recent as 2019, the United Nations’ special commission on decolonization would note “with concern the way in which political insubordination impedes Puerto Rico’s ability to tackle its serious economic and social problems…”[vi]

These conditions have led to mass migrations to mainland US and challenges for the higher education system. Postsecondary enrollments decreased 24% in the last five years, while tuition, under the draconian measures imposed by the US fiscal board, have increased by 87% for public four-year colleges.[vii]

These changes to access and affordability have been met with staunch protestations from college students and faculty. As the ASHE community prepares to travel to Puerto Rico, it is important to acknowledge the tenuous and contested relationship that Puerto Rico has with the United States. We do this in the spirit of this year’s theme, as we (re)consider borders—what they signify and who they are meant to include (or exclude). Likewise, we recognize that as visitors we must always be mindful of our relationships, connection, and responsibility to place. This requires us to engage with its history, honor its people, and to be in right relation with land, water, and creation. We embrace the opportunity and responsibilities of learning with and being in community with the people from Puerto Rico.


Works Referenced: 

[i] Downes v. Bidwell, 182 U.S. 244, 287 (1901) - (for further insights, see case information via Justicia by the US Supreme Court at https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/244/)

[ii] Ibid.
[iii] IPEDS 12-month enrollment 2018-19, all sectors, Title-IV Eligible institutions (viewable online at: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/search/ViewTable?tableId=27429)

[iv] Originally cited: https://www.edexcelencia.org/media/488 (As of Feb. 2025, inactive or lost page. Try using Internet Archive or see "Latino Degree Completion - Puerto Rico" at https://www.edexcelencia.org/research/latino-college-completion/puerto-rico)

[v] https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/29/business/dealbook/puerto-ricos-governor-says-islands-debts-are-not-payable.html?_r=0

[vi] https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/gacol3337.doc.htm

[vii] Enrollment: Comparison of 2018-19 and 2013-12 enrollment, all sectors, Title IV-eligible institutions; Tuition: unadjusted comparison of 2019-20 and 2014-13 in-state average tuition for full-time undergraduates, PR public 4-year colleges

Written by Drs. Nicole Reyes (University of Hawai'i at Mānoa) and Julie J. Park (University of Maryland, College Park)

Although we may be joining each other virtually throughout ASHE 2020, we are also able to do so grounded by diverse lands, each with their own names, histories, and relationships. While COVID has called us to limit our travel and social interactions in efforts to curb the spread of the disease and protect our communities, we hope that it also provides us with time to reflect on the lands where we live and work as well as on the relationships that we have or aspire to build with them. Such reflection can provide a vital first step to the work of decolonization, work which must go hand in hand with the dismantling of entrenched racial inequities.

This year, we invite all presenters, chairs, and discussants to engage in land acknowledgment when participating in ASHE 2020 events and sessions. We encourage members and invited speakers to share brief remarks grounded by their own respective locations to begin their presentations. We hope that the ASHE membership will welcome this opportunity to share the labor that is too-often solely shouldered by the Indigenous members of our community.

While the actual content of a land acknowledgment may be relatively brief, what is equally important is the work that goes on behind the scenes--the processes of research, learning, and reflection. While there are multiple forms that land acknowledgments can take, here is one example from the NCORE Conference:

This land on which I / we inhabit is physically situated in the original ancestral homelands of the << LOCAL TRIBE NAME(S) >>. We pay respect to the << TRIBE NAME(S) >> peoples – past, present, and future – and their continuing presence in the homeland and throughout their historical diaspora.

As members begin to engage in land acknowledgments, one resource that may be used to identify the Indigenous tribes and peoples of an area is native-land.ca. From there, we recommend searching for and exploring the websites of Indigenous nations and community organizations to learn more.

For additional resources, insight, and guidance on land acknowledgment, see ashe.ws/land-acknowledgements which was drafted by the ASHE Land Acknowledgment Working Group.

Finally, we would like to take the time to recognize the original intended location of ASHE 2020. The land currently known as New Orleans is physically situated in the region known as “Bulbancha,” a Choctaw term meaning “place of many tongues.” This place was originally inhabited by the Chitimacha nation and, prior to 1718, served as an important port and trading hub for more than 40 diverse peoples, including Atakapa, Caddo, Choctaw, Houma, Natchez, and Tunica nations. We pay respect to these communities and look forward to gathering in Bulbancha for the ASHE 2024 conference.


Reflections on New Orleans

This was originally written in January 2020. Written by Drs. Julie J. Park (University of Maryland, College Park) and Nicole Reyes (University of Hawai'i at Mānoa).

This year we are journeying to the land currently known as New Orleans, Louisiana. Colonized by the French in 1718, Dr. Jeffery U. Darrensbourg, 1 Tribal Councilperson and enrolled member of the Atakapa-Ishak Nation of Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas, has stated, “‘New Orleans’ was already a place, a place with a name, before the first Europeans set sail for the area.” Known as “Bulbancha,” a Choctaw term meaning “place of many tongues,” this place was originally inhabited by the Chitimacha nation and, prior to 1718, served as an important port and trading hub for more than 40 diverse peoples, including Atakapa, Caddo, Choctaw, Houma, Natchez, and Tunica nations.

Unfortunately, with European colonization of the region also came the institution of chattel slavery. Some Native Americans who resisted colonization became enslaved themselves while other Native Americans hid and aided enslaved Black people in escaping bondage. New Orleans was host to the largest slave markets in the Deep South, and our ASHE conference hotel is close to some of the sites where over 100,000 people were bought and sold into slavery during the first half of the 19th century. To this day, the region continues to wrestle with the legacy, past and present, of both colonization and slavery.

The systematic oppression of people of color is reflected, for example, in current day educational inequities, wherein Louisiana is ranked #49 in the nation for higher education attainment.2 At the same time, the land currently known as New Orleans also represents tremendous creativity, resilience, and improvisation in the face of tragedy, from colonization to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Fittingly, in response to recent tri-centennial celebrations of the French “founding” of New Orleans, local graffiti artists painted “Bulbancha Forever” at the foot of the Jefferson Davis Monument, representing resistance and resilience in spite of the city’s multiple and intersecting legacies of inequality, erasure, and genocide.

Such resilience also presents itself in educational spaces. For instance, New Orleans is host to outstanding historically Black colleges and universities, including Xavier University and Dillard University, both known for graduating a disproportionate number of the country’s Black STEM graduates.3 Impressively, Louisiana has led the country in FAFSA completion over the past several years, signaling new opportunities for local youth.4 As we prepare to travel to this dynamic region, we name the tensions we sit in—that we travel to a city whose officially recognized name is a daily reminder of oppression and erasure to many, that the region, like so many of our own, continues to deal with the legacy of hundreds of years of colonization and enslavement. As we seek to advance full participation, we recognize these complexities and look forward to learning from our host city.

Works Referenced: 

1 https://www.vianolavie.org/2019/01/10/bulbancha-is-still-a-place-speaking-with-editor-who-is-not-a-chief-jeffery-darensbourg/

2 U.S. News and World Report: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/louisiana

3 Originally cited: https://www.xula.edu/singleArticle?articleId=article___news___learn_org (As of Feb. 2025, inactive or lost page. Try using Internet Archive or see "Facts & Figures" at https://www.xula.edu/about/factsandfigures/index.html & https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/dillard-university-outranks-many-others-physics-grads-n765086

4 https://www.forbes.com/sites/civicnation/2018/11/16/how-louisiana-led-the-nation-in-fafsa-completion/


For more learning, we suggest:

Local/Area tribes:

By: Leslie D. Gonzales (Michigan State University), 2019 Program Chair

As we gather for the ASHE 2019 Conference, please consider taking some time to learn, reflect, and acknowledge that the land and resources we are using to sustain ourselves rightfully belong to Indigenous Peoples that continue to live and thrive all around the Portland area.

Below, you will find a brief history of the area written by Mr. Robert Kentta, the Cultural Resource Director of the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians. We are so thankful to Mr. Kentta for his generous teachings and encourage you to read this history carefully to frame your thinking about the Portland area.

"The middle Chinookans, Kalapuyans and Molalla peoples of the Willamette Valley area ceded the Portland Metro area under the Kalapuya Treaty of January 1855. In November 1855, President Franklin Pierce signed an order establishing the Siletz Reservation for the Oregon Coast, Willamette, and Umpqua Tribes. Three days later, the federal government made the decision to move the Rogue Valley Tribes to the newly formed Siletz Reservation. As removal was being planned, the government bought out the interests of some Donation Land Claimants on the South Fork of the Yamhill River to be used as a staging area for removal of Tribes to the Siletz Reservation. This encampment was called the Grand Ronde Encampment. When plans were sent to Washington D.C. to add those lands to the Siletz Reservation in 1857, President Buchanan signed an order establishing the Grand Ronde Reservation. Most of the Willamette Treaty Tribes remained at that encampment and became members of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, but over time, many Siletz Families also have maintained their direct connections to Willamette Treaty Tribes ancestry and the Executive Order—as a founding document—also recognizes the Tribes’ connections to the 1855 Willamette/Kalapuya Treaty.

Today, many Native and Indigenous peoples continue to live and thrive in this area."

"A Short History" as Written by Robert Kentta, Cultural Resources Director and Elected Tribal Council Member Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (Shasta & Dakubetede ancestry).

Keeping this complex history in mind, we encourage all session chairs to offer a Land Acknowledgement, such as one of the statements, offered below:

  • We take this opportunity to thank the original caretakers of this land.
  • We acknowledge that the land which we occupy rests on traditional village sites of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde the Community and Confederated Tribes of Siletz.
  • We acknowledge that the land and resources we are using rightfully belong to the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde the Community and Confederated Tribes of Siletz. We honor their rightful ownership and acknowledge their presence.
  • We understand that this land belongs to the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde the Community and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz. We understand that through forcible and violent removal, many other Native communities came to live and thrive in this area.

Below are some additional excellent resources for learning about the Portland, Oregon area.