IAS Land Acknowledgement

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is located on traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of Indigenous people. The University resides on Dakota land ceded in the Treaties of 1837 and 1851. The IAS acknowledges this place has a complex and layered history. This land acknowledgement is one of the ways in which we work to educate the campus and community about this land and our relationships with it and each other. The IAS is committed to ongoing efforts to recognize, support, and advocate for American Indian Nations and peoples.
 

  • Local Dakota Land Map — downloadable visual and audio Dakota land maps of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding areas by local artist Marlena Myles
  • Why Treaties Matter — a comprehensive and thoughtful exploration of treaties and land theft in Minnesota. For our area, we recommend you begin by reading about the 1837 land cession treaties with the Ojibwe and Dakota, and the 1851 Dakota land cession treaties
  • Where We Stand: The University of Minnesota and Dakhóta Treaty Lands — a discussion on land acknowledgments by Čhaŋtémaza (Neil McKay) and Monica Siems McKay, published in Open Rivers
  • The On Being Project Land Acknowledgment Resources — a whole host of resources dedicated to Native American culture and history in Minnesota, as well as on the practice of land acknowledgment   
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Developing Land Acknowledgments — “You need to be able to do the work. Otherwise, I don’t know if there’s meaning behind it”: Indigenous leaders from the University of Alberta share their thoughts on Acknowledgments

We will continue to update this page with resources and information about the University's relationship to the land it occupies, how and why land acknowledgements are used at the University and at other institutions, and other ways you can learn and get involved.