[Uosenate] Want to read the Land Acknowledgement?

[Kenlei Cowell]

Boozhoo Senator Harbaugh and all;

I apologize for the late response to this message, but wanted to address the below idea to read from The Atlantic before the start of the new term so we can all mull it over and come back with rejuvenated goals around the land acknowledgement and better serve our Native community.

Although I understand some of the sentiments about the performative nature that land acknowledgements can have, I want to share that I corresponded with other indigenous colleagues through Native Strategies about the UO senate’s reading of the land acknowledgement. We have not since had a full meeting with Native Strategies to fully discuss this topic or come to a consensus, but I was reminded that an indigenous faculty and campus leader on campus adeptly noted that reading the land acknowledgement is the bare minimum our community can do to take responsibility for the settler colonial violence and dispossession that is the precondition for the UO's existence and working toward being more accountable to contemporary Indigenous nations, communities, and students. In other words, reading the land acknowledgement is the least we can do to show our commitment to Native revitalization within our own community.

That said, I want to encourage us to not feel limited by this bare minimum, but rather think of the land acknowledgement as an opportunity to preemptively carve out mental time to think about how we might advocate for and respect those who came before us as we enter proceeding conversation. For some this might be catching yourself from wandering during the reading, closing your eyes, and fully listening to the words so that the information has sunk in by the time we enter each new docket item on the agenda. As an external processor, I personally take the opportunity as the acknowledgement reader to facilitate a brief conversation about how the acknowledgement applies to what we are about to discuss.

If you are still feeling new to this, one of my colleagues offered the following verbiage to help you feel better prepared in your understanding of how to add your personal commitment, and I don’t know about you, but verbally speaking my personal commitment helps hold me a bit more accountable!

The University of Oregon is located on Kalapuya ilihi, the traditional indigenous homeland of the Kalapuya people. Following treaties between 1851 and 1855, Kalapuya people were dispossessed of their indigenous homeland by the United States government and forcibly removed to the Coast Reservation in Western Oregon. Today, Kalapuya descendants are primarily citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and they continue to make important contributions to their communities, to the UO, to Oregon, and to the world.  We in the Faculty Senate acknowledge our responsibility to assist in the revitalization and future flourishing of Oregon’s Native communities as we fulfil our role in shaping the education provided by the University of Oregon.*

Outside these meetings and acknowledgements, please know that you are more than welcome to further engage with and educate yourself on our Native community! We are a fabulous bunch, if I do say so myself, with a thriving scholastic community and student services that support our big family of elders, aunties, and uncles and the many students who identify as Native on this campus.

I hope you all have a warm and restful break. Giminadan gagiginonshiwan.

Migwetch,
Kenlei

*Underlined portion is just an idea, not something voted upon by the UO Native Strategies – but enhancing the acknowledgement with your extra verbiage is totally okay!

From: uosenate-bounces at lists.uoregon.edu <uosenate-bounces at lists.uoregon.edu> On Behalf Of William Harbaugh
Sent: Tuesday, December 7, 2021 7:45 PM
To: Senate President <senatepres at uoregon.edu>
Cc: uosenate at lists.uoregon.edu
Subject: Re: [Uosenate] Want to read the Land Acknowledgement?

Hi Spike, I’d be happy to read a few paragraphs from this Atlantic article<https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/11/against-land-acknowledgements-native-american/620820/> on land acknowledgements, eg:


Some people argue that land acknowledgments are “gestures of respect.” I’m not sure one can show respect while also being indifferent to a people’s existence. The statements are a counterfeit version of respect. Teen Vogue put it well<https://www.teenvogue.com/story/indigenous-land-acknowledgement-explained>, if unintentionally: “Land acknowledgment is an easy way to show honor and respect to the indigenous people.” A great deal of nonsense about identity politics could be avoided by studying this line, and realizing that respect shown the “easy way” is just as cheap as it sounds. Real respect occurs only when accompanied by time, work, or something else of value. Learning basic facts about a particular tribe might be a start.

Most of these acknowledgments are considered (by the speakers, anyway) moral acts, because they bear witness to crimes perpetrated against Native peoples and call, usually implicitly, for redress. If you enjoy moral exhibitionism, to say nothing of moral onanism, land acknowledgments in their current form will leave you pleasured for years to come.




On Dec 7, 2021, at 9:47 AM, Senate President <senatepres at uoregon.edu<mailto:senatepres at uoregon.edu>> wrote:

Dear Senators,

We begin every Senate meeting by having someone read the land acknowledgment, which recognizes that the University of Oregon is located on land stolen from its original inhabitants, the Kalapooya. You can read a bit more here<https://senate.uoregon.edu/senates-land-acknowledgment> about the form and meaning of the acknowledgment.

I am writing this message to request any senator who is interested in reading the land acknowledgment to send me (cc Betina) a quick message to that effect, so we can schedule in who will read is for the remaining 8 Senate meetings this year.

Thank you in advance!
Spike

P.S. For those with anxiety regarding pronunciation of Tribal names, for this year only we have a special offer of advance coaching from a professor of Linguistics who actually works with Native languages of the Americas…

Spike Gildea
Professor of Linguistics
President of the University Senate, 2021-2022


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Bill Harbaugh
UO Economics
harbaugh at uoregon.edu<mailto:harbaugh at uoregon.edu>

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