Land Acknowledgement
The land acknowledgement below was written by staff and faculty from UC's College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services & Information Technology and UC Libraries, spring 2023. It is important to know the history of our land and understand the impact this had made within Native communities around us.
We respectfully acknowledge that we are on the traditional, ancestral lands of the Wahzhazhe (Osage), Myaamia (Miami), Shawandasse Tula (Shawnee), and Kaskaskia (Peoria) Nations. These peoples, in addition to the ancient Adena and Hopewell cultures, lived and thrived here before being subjected to forcible removal and genocide. As we reflect on the Nations whose land we appropriated, it is also critical to acknowledge that Native peoples are still here.
The legacy of displacement and subjugation disproportionally affects Native communities and families to this day, as they continue to fight for the sovereignty of their Nations and the retention of their tribal lands.
Learning our land’s history is not enough. A shared commitment to learning about and supporting Native nations, organizations, and causes is also an important way to acknowledge the land on which our city was built and the Native peoples who were displaced from it. Further, we acknowledge the institutional, socioeconomic, physical, psychological and emotional wounds and inequalities that remain in existence as a result of these inhumane and reprehensible crimes.
Resources
To learn more about the land we’re on here in Greater Cincinnati and the Nations from whom this land was appropriated, we recommend these resources for further reading and exploration:
- Native Land
- Greater Cincinnati Native American Coalition (now Urban Native Collective)
- Native Governance Center
- National Congress of American Indians
Pronunciation Guide:
Wahzhazhe wah-zaw-zhee
Myaamia my-ah-mia
Shawandasse Tula shah-whan-deiz too-luh
Kaskaskia ka-ska-skee-uh
Adena uh-de-nuh
Hopewell hohp-wel