Native American Land Acknowledgements in ASU emails

Parents and students will likely see that emails from professors at ASU often contain statements such as this one: “As a result of colonial invasion, I acknowledge that ASU sits on the ancestral territories of twenty-two Native Nations.” Many ASU events, such as faculty meetings, are opened with the reading of statements like this one:

“The ASU Library acknowledges the twenty-three Native Nations that have inhabited this land for centuries. Arizona State University's four campuses are located in the Salt River Valley on ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples, including the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) Indian Communities, whose care and keeping of these lands allows us to be here today. ASU Library acknowledges the sovereignty of these nations and seeks to foster an environment of success and possibility for Native American students and patrons. We are advocates for the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems and research methodologies within contemporary library practice. ASU Library welcomes members of the Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh, and all Native nations to the Library.”

Jeffrey Ian Ross, who is not opposed to these statements, says “public land claims statements like this is faux activism and virtue signaling. Their ability to change things is really limited. In short, just like many public displays, Native American land claim acknowledgements don’t really do anything to help native peoples or repair the wrongs that have been done.”

The historical truth about previous nations inhabiting this area is politicized and connected to the “decolonize the curriculum” movement. The statement of fact about Native Americans in this area is connected to the claim that ASU is here due to colonization. That is an easily refuted claim. Are students allowed to challenge their professors on this point? Would an alternative claim about how ASU came to be on this land be allowed in email signatures? If a student disagrees with this view of history, does their professor including it in an email act as a kind of coercion that will let the student know their beliefs are not welcomed?

Professors who claim that ASU obtained its land through colonization (which is a process that they believe is wrong) and yet are receiving money from ASU have put themselves in a compromised moral position.

I will be posting more soon about the School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies in New College at ASU West and its efforts to decolonize the curriculum. This is a matter of great interest to potential students.

https://jeffreyianross.com/whats-wrong-with-native-american-land-acknowledgements-at-university-commencement-and-graduation-exercises/