Apologies, Land Back, and Reparations

woven rug colorful

Many organizations and institutions have taken steps to formally apologize and begin to “repair” their relationships with Native communities. This is a global movement in which entire countries, institutions and organizations participate. In the United States, religious organizations, universities and colleges, states, NGOs, individual politicians, and some corporations have issued apologies and implemented action plans for reparation or Land Back. This page serves as a resource for Higher Education institutions and individuals to garner a sense of possibilities for reparative actions they can take in relationship to Native American communities. Land acknowledgments and apologies should serve as the groundwork for continued Land Back action.

What is “Land Back”?

Land Back is an intergenerational multifaceted movement, with a long history, that calls for Indigenous reclamation of land through an insistence of self-determination, sovereignty, and regeneration. Land Back is not simply a call for settlers to cede their land back to Native peoples, as land grabs were and are not the only form of settler colonial violence. Assimilation, genocide, relocation, economic coercion and suppression, and silencing Native voices have long been tactics used by colonial forces, for example.

As such, the Land Back movement should be understood as a reclamation and regeneration of every aspect of Indigenous lifeways in response to oppressive tactics that spanned across all facets of Native life in the pursuit of settler colonial land grabs. Within this holistic approach to countering these violences, Land Back draws upon a traditional epistemology that understands land as inextricably connected to people, not as an object to possess.

As shared by Andre Perez, “we are the land, and the land is us; we come from the land.”

In this way, Land Back in the United States encompasses , which include, but are not limited to: maintaining and insisting the constitutional right to sovereignty, or self-governance, over treaty lands; language revitalization; ceremony rights and revitalization; food sovereignty; educational self-determination and inclusive reforms; economic sovereignty; housing for unhoused community members; better healthcare conditions; climate protection; resurgence and legal rights to traditional medicines; and maintaining/building intra- and inter-community kinship.

How can universities and colleges contribute to Land Back?

Land Back in Higher Education, just as it does in the larger movement, can apply to many aspects of student, faculty, and staff life. Higher Education has been historically used to stratify colonial racialization by excluding Native American access to the resources unique to Higher Ed. Further, education in the United States has acted as a tool for assimilation under the guise of “civilization.” Some universities and colleges are also what is described as “Land Grab Universities,” as they were built on treaty land belonging to Native people and/or against treaty stipulations. The most well-known example would be the implementation of the Morrill Land Grant Universities.

In these ways, Land Back in Higher Ed should look like acting to repair the historical and systemic exclusion of Native students from Higher Education by removing access barriers; upend and unilaterally rejecting the systemic devaluation and suppression of Native studies, epistemologies, and research topics by funding and amplifying Native scholarship; actively working to address and remedy discriminatory environments that subject Native faculty, staff, and students to harm of all forms; offering funding and partnerships to Native organizations; and physically returning land to the local tribes from whom the land was “grabbed.” Below are some concrete steps to contribute to Land Back efforts.

“Land acknowledgements admit the existence of truth but fail to live up to the reality that those Indigenous peoples whose lands their institutions are built on are still here...American colleges and universities are morally obligated to acknowledge the educational needs of Indigenous peoples and to face their ongoing system of power that perpetuates the repression and erasure of Indigenous peoples and their knowledge systems.” - .

Apologies and Acknowledgments

Many institutions have developed language to acknowledge the communities traditionally tied to the land they are established on. At CNAIS, we believe that a meaningful Land Acknowledgment statement must address historical wrongs and inequities, not just the fact that others once occupied the land. In recognizing these wrongs, you should commit to concrete actions to address continuing inequities. In this vein, many organizations and institutions have issued formal apologies to Native peoples for the institution’s (direct or indirect) role in colonial violence. What must be emphasized is that words are the beginning, while Land Back action should be the ultimate goal.

Land Acknowledgments

Read more about CU Boulder’s Land Acknowledgment and building your own Land Acknowledgments here.

There is a diverse array of apologies from various institutions, organizations, and government representatives. Below are a few examples that offer a few different framings and language for formal apology statements:

Financial Reparations

According to , financial access to education is the most prohibitive factor in Native American students accessing Higher Education. Financial assistance for Native people is a tangible step to increasing educational equity and opportunity for Native communities. The following are examples of existing policies/opportunities and possibilities for the university.

In-State and Waived Tuition
  • : Native American students who are enrolled in one or more of the 48 tribes who are traditionally tied to Colorado can apply for the Colorado Opportunity fund stipend and in-state tuition/financial aid. Learn more .
  • : In-State tuition and Student Services Fees are covered by UC financial aid or another federal, state, or aid program. of any federally recognized tribe, are eligible.
  • : Tuition waivers for undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree-seeking students are granted to Native American students who are enrolled in federally recognized tribes and Native Alaskan Villages. They cite their history as a former military base and Indian boarding school as central to the purpose of their waiver, as the property was given to the State of Colorado in 1910 with the mandate to develop an equal access educational institution that is tuition-free for Native students.

Learn about other similar programs across the country .

Language Revitalization Scholarships

Below are examples of scholarships Native nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions offer Native students.

The Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies (CNAIS) Scholarship is awarded to graduate students studying Native American and Indigenous studies topics.

: The Ryan J. Smith Scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students at CU Boulder, with preference given to students who are members of a Federally recognized Native American tribe. This scholarship was created by the family of Ryan J. Smith to honor his life. This scholarship was established to continue his positive influence on his fellow humankind. Awards are based on both merit and financial need and the scholarship is renewable for up to four years total as long as the student remains in good academic standing.

Native and Indigenous Student Scholarship: The University of Colorado Boulder recognizes the history and significance of how the plains and mountain tribes and cultures have shaped our state. We foster and support native culture through scholarships, academic programs, research, events and celebration of native contributions.

: The American Indian College Fund (the College Fund) provides scholarships to graduating American Indian and Alaska Native college students enrolled in certificate, undergraduate, or graduate programs at accredited public or private, non-profit college or university in the U.S.

: The Native Agriculture and Food Systems Scholarships encourage more Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian college students to enter agriculture and food systems fields so that they can better assist their communities with their food systems efforts.

: University of Minnesota’s financial aid scholarship for degree-seeking undergraduates “who demonstrate strong dedication to learning how to speak and teach the Dakota language.”

: offered to Navajo students who show strong academic performance and have completed courses in Navajo language and/or Navajo government classes.

There are many Native-run organizations that contribute to Land Back efforts. Institutions can build partnerships and donate funds to some of the following organizations.

  • University of Colorado Boulder Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies (CNAIS): Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies provides Native students and faculty an intellectual and social home at CU Boulder. We promote collaborative research focusing on both local and global Indigenous knowledge and foster wide ranging NAIS projects that aim to open conversations both in Colorado and the world.

  • : The American Indian College Fund invests in Native students and tribal college education to transform lives and communities. Since its founding in 1989, the American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native student access to higher education.

  • : FNDI is based out of Longmont, CO and is the most highly rated American Indian nonprofit in the nation. Their mission is to uplift and sustain the lifeways and economies of Native communities through advocacy, financial support, and knowledge sharing. They do work in areas including stewarding Native lands, nourishing Native foods and health, investing in Native youth, strengthening tribal and community institutions, policy research, and many other initiatives that serve Native communities.

  • : The NIWRC provides national leadership in ending gender-based violence in tribal communities by lifting up the collective voices of grassroots advocates and offering culturally grounded resources, technical assistance and training, and policy development to strengthen tribal sovereignty.

  • : The Native American Rights Fund holds governments accountable. NARF fights to protect Native American rights, resources, and lifeways through litigation, legal advocacy, and legal expertise.

  • :Throughout our 50-year history, Native Forward has empowered over 22,000 students from over 500 Tribes in all 50 states by providing scholarship dollars and support for services for undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees.

  • : The New Songs Rising Initiative is a partnership between Grantmakers for Girls of Color and Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous People’s Thriving Women’s Program. This initiative expands opportunities for Indigenous girls through grantmaking, convening and community building, and mentorship and peer support, with a specific emphasis on Indigenous cultural work.

Rematriation

Many institutions hold human remains, cultural artifacts, and archival documents/recordings that come from local Native communities and even from Native peoples across the nation. Returning remains of Native peoples which included a federal deadline for institutions to take action by 1995. Yet, . As for archival documentation and artifacts, sometimes tribes and Native families/representatives donate cultural items or texts for research and education purposes. However, many universities and colleges do not have this type of consent from families and communities. of culturally significant items to their proper homes is a way to repair the extractive tradition that is a historical and contemporary practice of higher education institutions. Below are examples of how universities and university systems have approached this process.

University of California Native American Cultural Affiliation and Repatriation Policy

Highlights:

  • The President must establish a Systemwide Native American Repatriation Implementation and Oversight Committee

  • Each UC campus that has possession or Control of a NAGPRA/CalNAGPRA-eligible Collection, the Chancellor must establish a Campus Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Implementation Committee

  • Repatriation Coordinators must seek out and foster these relationships with the designated Tribal Representatives, such as tribal historic preservation officers (THPOs), cultural directors, elders councils, preservation or culture committees, and/or other representatives.

Review flowchart

Highlights:

  • Native human remains and cultural items, collected in the 1980s and 1990s, were found stored by a retired faculty member. The college immediately began investigating and safeguarding these items, adhering to NAGPRA protocols for repatriation.

  • The college is working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Indigenous cultural consultants to properly repatriate the remains to the appropriate tribal communities, emphasizing respect and adherence to specific cultural considerations.

  • The college is conducting a campus-wide assessment for other NAGPRA-related materials and has initiated discussions and support efforts for the Native American community, affirming a commitment to ethical practices, transparency, and healing.

Highlights:

  • IU partnered with the Quapaw Nation, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Shawnee tribe “

  • Two national NAGPRA consultation and documentation grants

  • Collaborative research projects, including the Shawnee Pottery Project, American Indian Resources and Services Portal project and digitization grants with two tribal partners

  • Improvements in museum policies and IU collections work resulting in partnerships with tribes

  • Continued collaboration with the Archives of Traditional Music, IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Lilly Libraries and the American Indian Studies Research Institute

Physical Land Back

Amidst the calls for Higher Education to support Native scholarship, access, and experience in universities and colleges, there have also been calls for higher education institutions to physically give land ownership back to the Native communities who are traditionally tied to the land upon which they are built. The only university to do this, in all of the United States, is . For an example of land back, below there is a map of the “returned” space.

OULandBackMap

More Learning Resources

Beyond the Land Acknowledgement: College “LAND BACK” or Free Tuition for Native 鶹Ժ, from ACCEPT & CSU RISE Center

Pulitzer Center : “Leveraging Our Place: Native Nations and Land-Grab Universities”

NDN Collective's

by Danya Ruttenberg

by Patty Krawec (Author), Nick Estes (Foreword)