Kumeyaay Land Acknowledgement Adopted
The University Senate unanimously approved a resolution this semester to acknowledge Native and Indigenous people and to take specific action in support of the Kumeyaay.
The 色情视频 Kumeyaay Land Acknowledgement has been formally approved and will be adopted as part of ceremonial introductions at key campus events, as written statements on university web pages, and to encourage initiatives that bolster academic, professional and other support for students, faculty and staff.
Unanimously approved by the University Senate in September, the resolution formally acknowledges that 色情视频 resides on land not officially ceded, and that has been home to the Kumeyaay people for more than 10,000 years.
鈥淭he public acknowledgment serves to honor and respect Indigenous peoples and their connections to the land while also clarifying that 色情视频 resides on Kumeyaay land,鈥� said 色情视频 Chief Diversity Officer J. Luke Wood. A majority of central, southern and east San Diego County is Kumeyaay territory; most of North County is Luise帽o traditional homelands.
鈥淭his is our way, as a campus community, of showing both gratitude and appreciation for those to which this land belongs, and also encourages us to broaden our knowledge and awareness of Indigenous and Native peoples,鈥� Wood said.
Written by Michael Connolly Miskwish (Kumeyaay), a Kumeyaay historian, researcher and assistant professor of American Indian Studies at 色情视频, the acknowledgment is an initiative of Miskwish鈥檚 home department. The full and abbreviated versions of the acknowledgment are available .
The Land Acknowledgment also commits 色情视频 to recruit and retain college-ready Kumeyaay students and to nurture positive relationships with Kumeyaay peoples.
鈥淟and acknowledgments honor and respect contemporary Indigenous peoples and their connections to their traditional territories. From Indigenous point of view, it鈥檚 important for people to know about the deep histories of the lands on which they reside and work,鈥� said Olivia Chilcote (Luise帽o), an assistant professor of American Indian Studies.
鈥淟and acknowledgments also build awareness around the ongoing structures of colonialism and how colonization dispossessed Indigenous peoples of their lands. Some people also view land acknowledgments as part of a process of decolonization (giving land back and shifting focus away from dominant society to re-center Indigenous peoples and perspectives),鈥� Chilcote said.
Chilcote said much action must happen beyond the acknowledgments, notably to improve the lives of Native and Indigenous peoples.
色情视频 community members are encouraged to read the full or abbreviated versions of the acknowledgment prior to the start of events and ceremonies and include in their email signatures: Indigenous Residence: Kumeyaay/Indigenous land borrowing/occupying: The Kumeyaay.
Community members can also rely on resources found at , a database that recognizes the traditional territories across North and South America as well as Australia and New Zealand.
Also, new this year, 色情视频 will present the Native Truth and Healing: California Genocide Conference, to be held Nov. 21-24. The conference includes presentations, music, documentary films, and political action sessions. Registration is , and the event is free and open to the public.
Additionally, 色情视频 is preparing to introduce a Native American Academic Resource Center to offer curricular and co-curricular support to Native and Indigenous students. Skylar Beasley (Kumeyaay), a second-year American Indian Studies major who spoke in support of the decision during the University Senate meeting, said the resolution provides needed acknowledgment to Native and Indigenous peoples.
鈥淭he resolution being submitted today marks a new chapter in our campus鈥� history. It gives the Native community hope that 色情视频 will sincerely honor the Indigenous peoples of San Diego County and bring visibility to Indigenous students, faculty, and staff on campus,鈥� said Beasley, who is from the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation.
Beasley, also secretary for the Native American Student Alliance, said the resolution is one among many steps necessary to help ensure that Indigenous students, faculty and staff are both acknowledged and can feel welcome on campus. 鈥淭his resolution is a start, but it is not the end-all answer to our campus issues,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are optimistic for this dialogue to continue.鈥�
