Advancing today’s discoveries to improve health for all.

Land Acknowledgement

students form a circle at the oval on The Ohio State University campus

Land Acknowledgement

We would like to acknowledge the land that The Ohio State University occupies is the ancestral and contemporary territory of the Shawnee, Potawatomi, Delaware, Miami, Peoria, Seneca, Wyandotte, Ojibwe and Cherokee peoples.

Specifically, the university resides on land ceded in the 1795 Treaty of Greeneville and the forced removal of tribes through the Indian Removal Act of 1830. As a land grant institution, we want to honor the resiliency of these tribal nations and recognize the historical contexts that has and continues to affect the Indigenous peoples of this land.

What is a Land Acknowledgement and Its Purpose?

Plaque sign for The Ohio State University surrounded by bushes and shrubsA land acknowledgement recognizes and respects the relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and their ancestral and contemporary territories. Additionally, a land acknowledgement provides opportunity to explore the current impact of colonization and systemic oppression on Indigenous peoples. Land acknowledgements do not exist in past tense or a historical context as colonialism is a current ongoing process. 

While Land Acknowledgements are vital in creating visibility, for these statements to have impact they must include action and a dedication to supporting, uplifting and empowering all Indigenous peoples. We ask that you take the time to learn more about the histories and cultures of Native American and Indigenous peoples. By doing so you participate in the social change that will support a strong sense of belonging and inclusion for all Buckeyes.