We are gathered on the land of the Kalapuya, who today are represented by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, whose relationship with this land continues to this day. We offer gratitude for the land itself, for those who have stewarded it for generations, and for the opportunity to study, learn, work, and be in community on this land. We acknowledge that our University’s history, like many others, is fundamentally tied to the first colonial developments in the Willamette Valley. Finally, we respectfully acknowledge and honor past, present, and future Indigenous students of Willamette.
Protocol of the Land Acknowledgement
With a genuine desire for collective healing, understanding, and partnership Willamette University offers this Land Acknowledgement to respectfully recognize the land and its Indigenous people. The Acknowledgement recognizes that lasting progress begins and continues with a growing understanding of harms and works to challenge the legacies of colonialism in order to move forward in the true spirit of community.
To implement the Land Acknowledgement is to respect those whose relationship to the land precedes ours and to collectively engage in fundamental measures that advance justice for the Indigenous peoples of the region, past, present, and future.