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Proposed U OF C LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT - AIC

2021, Proposed Land Acknowledgement

This is a proposed UChicago Land Acknowledgement developed by Chicago's American Indian Center in collaboration with the UChicago Civic Knowledge Project.

AMERICAN INDIAN CENTER OF CHICAGO OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 3401 W. Ainslie St. | Chicago, Il 60625 773-275-5871 | www.aicchicago.org February 26, 2021 Land Acknowledgement In recent years it has become a trend to acknowledge the traditional homelands of the Indigenous peoples of a particular area through a land acknowledgment. This undertaking has been created to bring awareness and understanding of indigenous peoples’ history and territories. But a land acknowledgment should also be more than that; it should be a call to rethink one’s relationship with the environment and all peoples’ histories. In partnership, the American Indian Center and the University of Chicago have crafted the following land acknowledgment to rethink their relationships with the city, land, and environment. This acknowledgment demonstrates a commitment to beginning the process of dismantling the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism and genocide. As the following land acknowledgment is read, I ask you to recognize and challenge yourself to accept the stories of the indigenous people and commit to respecting the space that is being shared. Chicago is the traditional homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: The Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi Nations. Many other Tribes like the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, as well as the Sac and Fox also called this area home. Due to Chicago’s location, at the intersection of several great waterways, the land naturally became a site, which many tribes used for travel and healing. American Indians continue to call this area home, the sixth-largest Urban American Indian community that still practices their heritage, traditions, and care for the land and waterways. Today, Chicago continues to be a place that calls many people from diverse backgrounds to live and gather here. Despite the many changes the city has experienced, both the American Indian Center and the University of Chicago community see the importance of the land and this place that has always been a city home to many diverse backgrounds and perspectives.