�Northeastern Illinois University Land Acknowledgement: Its history and usage guidelines
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Laurie Fuller,
Professor (she/they)
Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Joseph Hibdon, Jr.
Associate Professor (he/him)
Mathematics
What is a land acknowledgment is and what it is not…
Decolonization: the rematriation of land and life of Indigenous peoples and the abolishment of slavery in all forms.
Settler Colonialism- Settler colonialism is a distinct type of colonialism that functions through the replacement of Indigenous populations with an invasive settler society that, over time, develops a distinctive identity and sovereignty.
Settler Moves Towards Innocence/White Savior- strategies or positionings that attempt to relieve the settler of feelings of guilt or responsibility without giving up land or power or privilege, performative gestures and limited change.
Settler Decolonization: settler processes of decolonization within anti-authoritarian social movements runs the risk of either re-centralizing settler/non-Indigenous peoples as the primary actors in processes of decolonization or obscuring their complicity in the colonial project through a move to innocence.
***We are not looking for the new ruling class.
Anti-Indianism- (1) the disavowment tribalism resulting in the unnatural death of “Indians”. (2) The disinvestment of an “Indian” audience, exploitation and distortion of “Indian” cultures while actively demonizing being “Indian” in America. (3) weaponizing of history to place blame on “Indians'' for colonial acts of violence and social positioning.
Colonialism is a root cause of many other “isms” and injustices.
NEIU:
What we have done so far
I . Committee formed
Fall 2020 created land acknowledgement as part of defund campus police
Fall 2021 new DEI director formed committee
II. First land acknowledgement and our difficulties
Intertwined nature of land, labor, and settler colonialism
Community responses
III. Scholarship
Eligibility requirements
Applications and selection
IV. Goals
Intersectional political frameworks that organize towards collective liberation
Creating Equity Based Initiatives
NEIU is experiencing an enrollment crisis losing approximately 40% of Native American students and 60% of Native Hawaiian Students.
Tuition Plan: We would like to encourage the state of Illinois to give all Native students in-state tuition and create a plan of action for NEIU to provide free tuition to Native students.
The University of Illinois at Chicago has offered in-state tuition since Fall 2019 to students who are members of any of the 573 tribal nations recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Conceptualizing #LandBack
Space Activation:
NEIU has three campus sites (North/Main; El Centro, Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies) two located on the cities Northside and one located in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood on the city’s southside.
Reimagine the way in which campus land and buildings can support local Native communities in regards to use and access of spaces. (Free public programing, artist studio space, access to libraries and computer labs)
Bryn Mawr Ave has multiple multi-use buildings (NEIU activated imminent domain for a block (both n and s sides of the street) of land to expand main campus) that now it sit empty.
Conceptualizing #LandBack
Actual Land to #Landback:
Gensburg-Markham Prairie History:
In 1971, the Gensburg family, owners of a key 60-acre (240,000 m2) parcel at the heart of the prairie, donated the parcel to Northeastern Illinois University. The prairie's current name, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, commemorates this donation.
Opportunities:
Native stewardship, bison, deer hunting for Native people, landback
Obstacles:
As a National Natural Landmark transfer of lands would need to be approved by the Secretary of the Interior
Gensburg-Markham Prairie
Current Climate within Illinois
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Shab-eh-nay Band Reservation Settlement Act of 2022:
A bill filed in the U.S. Congress could allow the tribe to acquire more than 1,100 acres of land near Shabbona State Park, about 60 miles southwest of Chicago, that was illegally auctioned off by the U.S. government in 1849.
State shall prohibit a member school from using a Native American logo or mascot or any other Native American imagery unless the school (1) has received the express written consent of a Native American tribe based within 500 miles of the school, which consent must be renewed every 5 years; (2) conducts a school-wide program on Native American culture at least twice per school year; (3) offers a course of study to its students outlining Native American contributions to society; and (4) files an annual report with the State Board of Education detailing what academic programs on Native Americans it has offered during the school year.
Native American Curriculum Passed 1/2023: Requires the State Board of Education to develop a curriculum relating to the Native American experience for students in kindergarten through grade 12. Provides for the State Board of Education to consult Native American tribes and individuals in developing the curriculum. Requires the implementation of the Native American curriculum starting in the 2023-2024 school year. Requires the State Board of Education to report progress of developing the curriculum to the General Assembly.
Current Climate within Chicago
Chicago has always been home to many Tribal Nations and was the site of relocation and other assimilative acts. We currently have multiple Urban Natives so communities with complex relationships (2 Tribal offices Ho-Chunk Nation WI & Tunica-Biloxi of Louisiana; & over 17 Native Run NGOs, clubs and collectives)
Chicago professional hockey team has a Native mascot and a 1.5 Billion dollar franchise. The team owner Rocky Wirtz is on the Board of Trustee of the Chicago Field Museum holding unknown power & influence over the Native American Hall exhibits and Museum initiatives
Monuments & Memorials Committee (Racial Healing Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot) requested 41 pieces of public art be removed with a focus on Native Constituency Representation. From August 2020 no works of public art have been removed & the Mayor was voted out of office this month.
Adopted from resource generation land repatriations and Indigenous Solidarity toolkit
https://resourcegeneration.org/land-reparations-indigenous-solidarity-action-guide/
Some questions and best practices to consider specifically about landback:
1. What is the history of any land you indirectly/directly have access to?
2. Who are the Native people/communities where you live or where the land you have access to?
3. Start the slow process of building relationships with Native people where you live.
4. What are the visions and struggles of Indigenous people/tribes in the area you live or have access to land in?
5. What does informed consent look like in the offer for donation or transfer of land?
6. Learn about the specifics of what is possible as far as land transfers.
Turn to your neighbors and discuss:
What did you learn?
What was thought provoking?
And how might this relate to the themes of this symposium?
What is our potential to act? (Agamben, 2019, 1999)
What can, cannot, and can Not be saved? (Agamben, 2013)
How much use is enough? (Ahmed, 2019)
What worlds can we make and un-make together? (Berlant, 2020; Mūnoz, 2009)
www.neiu.edu/native
https://resourcegeneration.org/