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What is a Land Acknowledgment?

(adapted from YMCA Boulder County)

A land acknowledgment statement recognizes that Native peoples are the original stewards of the land on which our homes and communities stand today. They are a first step in educating ourselves about the events that led us to this place and recognize, respect, and affirm the ongoing relationship between Indigenous people and the land.

 

WICHE’s Land Acknowledgment

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) acknowledges that its office in Boulder, Colorado, is located on the unceded territories and ancestral homelands of the Hinóno’éí (Arapaho), Tsistsistas (Cheyenne), and Nuciu (Ute) nations. Through this land acknowledgment, WICHE aims to raise awareness about the region’s shared and often painful history while honoring the Indigenous histories, perspectives, and experiences that have often been suppressed or forgotten then and now. WICHE respects and thanks the elders and peoples, both past and present, of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute, and many other Native nations, who are the original stewards of this land and custodians of Indigenous knowledge and practice.

The sacrifices, hardships, and resilience of the many Indigenous peoples across the West inform our present and future, and therefore WICHE is committed to using its capacity and resources to partner with these communities and provide understanding and solutions to the critical issues they face by:

  • Supporting Indigenous student access and success
  • Conducting research that recognizes and amplifies Indigenous voices and experiences
  • Consulting, engaging, and working collaboratively with Native nations and educational organizations and associations to enhance our ability to provide access and culturally sensitive support to Native students

 

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