Statement
Anna Lyle
It is now up to Auburn University to provide a land acknowledgement statement to recognize, appreciate, and apologize for their debt to indigenous people. An acknowledgement statement is a formal statement that recognizes and honors indigenous people as original caretakers of the land that was taken from them during Native dispossession. There is a rising trend throughout higher education institutes to remember and acknowledge the communities that are responsible for their existence. It is necessary that Auburn University join the movement to convey its appreciation for the involuntary sacrifice that led to its foundation. Auburn is a large, leading university that must right its wrongs in order to promote social, environmental, and cultural sustainability. Beginning with a statement, Auburn University can strive to mend its relationships with native communities, enact programs that benefit descendants, reform effects of the Morrill Acts, and establish curriculum that values Native American history and culture
This is an unfinished, open-ended, 'working' land acknowledgement statement addressing Auburn's history with the Morrill Act.
Further addition and adaptation is needed to address the local land and local tribal nations in order to have a full and more finalized land acknowledgement statement.
Below are some graphics that analyze other university land acknowledgement statements, where success of the statement is discussed using researched data and insights. These are intended to be used by future statement writers or by anyone interested in the topic.
