USU releases first land acknowledgment statements

On Jan. 6, Utah State University publicized its first land acknowledgment statement recognizing the university resides on land of Indigenous people.

These statements applied to every USU campus from Kanab to Logan.

Each statement said these locations were built on land of Indigenous peoples who still have relationships to that land.

Land acknowledgment statements serve land-grant universities — such as USU — by helping make ties with the Native American tribes still on the lands, which can lead to scholastic change and greater opportunities for students of Native American descent.

According to an article from Utah State Today, the land acknowledgement committee, made up of Utah Tribal leaders and USU employees, have been working on the statements for each USU campus location since the project was announced in March of 2021.

Collaboration between the two groups was paramount in the creation of each land acknowledgment statement, honoring the traditions and legacies of every Utah tribe.

Some campuses include additional information as a result of each tribe contributing to their own unique statement and representation.

One example is Logan campus’ statement which mentions the 1863 Treaty at Fort Bridger which provided the land Logan campus is built on.

The Blanding campus institutes a promise of sorts that the school will continue to foster a “continuous relationship with tribal nations and fostering a partnership through community, family, research, education and programming.”

“Not having a statement sends a message that they’re a forgotten people,” said Darren Parry, a tribal council member for the Western Band of Shoshone and a Native American History professor at USU. “I love their statement because it’s simple, but it gets right to the heart of who they’re acknowledging: the eight tribes in Utah and the lands that were here and who resided here first.”

Parry continued to explain these messages cause people to take the time to think about the land and remind them of the other people who have been there.

“I just think it’s a win for everybody,” he said.

Although USU faculty and Native American tribe members say the statements are a step in the right direction for USU’s awareness of the diverse peoples, their aim is to inspire each person who reads them to cultivate a culture of gratitude for those native people who first resided in Utah and paved the way for every USU campus.

“I think it is very interesting to look at the whole history of Cache Valley and Logan,” USU student Justin Berrett said. “I think we often overlook the history of where we live. It is a good reminder to think about where we come from.”

-Ryker.Eggenberger@usu.edu