Land Acknowledgment

Detroit Mercy Land Acknowledgment

The University of Detroit Mercy operates on the land known as Waawiiyaatanong. As a community, we recognize that this is the ancestral land of the Three Fires Confederacy, the Ojibwa, Odawa, and Potawatomi as well as the land of the Wyandot nation. We acknowledge that this land was colonized via the Treaty of Detroit in 1807. Taking from our roots as a Mercy and Jesuit university, we are committed to justice and reconciliation for our Native neighbors. The purpose of this statement of acknowledgment is to remind us to continue to be mindful and respectful of the history of this land. This statement serves as both a reminder and a call to action to promote practices and policies that bring about equity and advancement for all people on our campus, in our community, and in the world.

 

What is a Land Acknowledgement?

A Land Acknowledgement is a statement recognizing the people groups who originally stewarded the land prior to its colonization. The statement serves as a reminder that the land we occupy is stolen and that we should honor the people who occupied and stewarded before us. The statement also serves as a reminder to connect with those people groups in tangible ways. How do our curriculum and our community engagement recognize, include, and connect with indigenous people in our community?

 

How to use this Land Acknowledgment

This statement can be used as is, or if you can find ways to connect it to your specific field of study, you may do so. This statement can be present in your syllabus and read before presentations or events.

 

Resources

The Dawn of Detroit- Tiya Miles

Indigenous Memory, Urban Reality: Stories of American Indian Relocation and Reclamation- Michelle Jacobs

Northwestern Native American and Indigenous Initiatives

A Beginner’s Guide to Tribal Law