Indigenous People’s Day and Land Grant Institutions

Indigenous People’s Day, observed this year on Monday, October 14, is a day to recognize and honor the global contributions and legacy of Indigenous Peoples. According to the United Nations, there are an estimated 476 million Indigenous Peoples in the world. These communities represent thousands of cultures and languages across 90 countries, each retaining distinct characteristics from the dominant societies around them.

Throughout history, Indigenous Peoples’ livelihoods, cultural practices, and rights to their land have been violated through colonization and the destruction of natural resources. At the University of Minnesota, we have a unique place in this history as being a land-grant institution. Signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, the Morrill Act distributed public lands to establish colleges and universities. While the Morrill Act was integral in the founding of the University of Minnesota, the land used to establish the University, and the wealth generated by designated state trust lands, was taken from Indigenous Peoples.

Groups and organizations at the University are working to bring awareness to this history and contribute to restorative justice for indigenous communities by doing more than land acknowledgements. Examples of such efforts include the University of Minnesota’s Ojibwe and Dakota Language Programs, which support the preservation and revitalization of these Indigenous languages, the Native American Promise Tuition Program, the TRUTH Project, and the Circle of Indigenous Nations (COIN), which we featured in a previous News & Notes article.