Land Acknowledgement
Today, the University of North Dakota rests on the ancestral lands of the Pembina and Red Lake Bands of Ojibwe and the Dakota Oyate - presently existing as composite parts of the Red Lake, Turtle Mountain, White Earth Bands, and the Dakota Tribes of Minnesota and North Dakota.
We acknowledge the people who resided here for generations and recognize that the spirit of the Ojibwe and Oyate people permeates this land. As a university community, we will continue to build upon our relations with the First Nations of the State of North Dakota - the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Nation, Spirit Lake Nation, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
University of North Dakota Land Acknowledgement Statement
The UND Land Acknowledgement
Our Culture Experts
The University Land Acknowledgement was developed through the expertise of many cultural leaders, experts, and elders. The Land Acknowledgement would not have been possible without the support and knowledge from the following individuals:
- Barb Anderson, Member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians
- Cynthia Joy Azure, Member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
- Deb Wilson, Member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation.
- Dr. Donald Warne, Member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe.
- Kade Ferris, Member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
- Kara Anderson, Member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
- Kathleen Fredericks, Member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation.
- Keith Malaterre, Director of the Indiegnous Student Center. Member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
- Leslie Peltier, Member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
- Michael Peters, Member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Nation.
- Richard LaFromboise, Member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
- Tyson Jeannotte, Member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
Co-Authors
- Dr. Stacey Borboa-Peterson, Director of The Hilyard Center
- Keith Malaterre, Director of the Indigenous Student Center. Member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
When to Use the Land Acknowledgement
The Land Acknowledgement Statement should be spoken or printed in its entirety. The Statement should not be altered or rewritten. The Acknowledgement may be shared at events such as official University ceremonies, critical conversations, performances, and/or conferences, as official University ceremonies, critical conversations, performances, and/or conferences, as determined by the event coordinators. University faculty, staff, and student organizations are welcome to use the Acknowledgement when deemed appropriate.
Why We Have a Land Agreement
It is important to understand the history that has brought people to the land on which they reside. A Land Acknowledgement Statement seeks to show respect, recognition, and gratitude to Indigenous Peoples who call the land home.
Pronunciations
- Arikara (uh-rih-kah-ruh)
- Chippewa (chip - pe - wa)
- Hidatsa (hi - dat - sa)
- Mandan (man - dan)
- Ojibwe (oh - jib - wā)
- Oyate (oy - ah - tay)
- Pembina (pem-buh-nah)
- Sioux (sü)
- Sisseton-Wahpeton (sis - se - ton, wah-pe-ton)