Indigenous Connections
Land Acknowledgement
Eugene School District 4J and the 4J/EWEB Education Partnership Program (EEP) would like to acknowledge that our institution sits on the homelands of the Kalapuya people.
In the Treaties of 1851 and 1854-1855, and the subsequent forced removals of many Indian people from western Oregon, some of the Kalapuya were moved to the Grand Ronde Reservation and some were moved to the Siletz Reservation. It is important to note that all of Lane County was an important trading and gathering area for camas and other resources.
During the Restoration Era, from 1977-1989, Lane County was designated at the Service Area for the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Coquille Indian Tribe, and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians.
Eugene 4J District and 4J/EEP wish to acknowledge that descendants of the original and Service Area inhabitants of this land are still here today. They are thriving members of our schools and our communities. Countless members of other Tribes now also call our community and schools their home.
We wish to thank those original stewards of this land. We as outsiders on this land wish to remember that we need to take good care of this land and take good care of all members of our school district and community. Thank you for joining us.
(Written with guidance from Brenda Brainard)
Investigate more: https://native-land.ca/
Wisdom from Brenda Brainard,
*N.A.T.I.V.E.S. Program
Listen to Brenda tell tribal stories as old as time immemorial, passed down to her from many generations of ancestors before her. Hear about Salmon Boy, How Salmon Put People on Land and finally How Coho learned to Jump. Learn from the wisdom of this elder and think about connections you can make to your personal story of living in the world of today.
*NATIVES stands for Native Americans Towards Improved Values in Education and Society
For more info on the N.A.T.I.V.E.S. program visit:
Kalapuya Connections
Get Outside
Take a self-guided walk in Alton Baker Park to see the Kalapuya Talking Stones.
Creation Story
Ester Stutzman tells a Kalapuyan creation story and more about the Kalapuyan peoples.
This is Kalapuyan Land Art Exhibit at Five Oaks Museum
This IS Kalapuyan Land acts as both a museum exhibition title and land acknowledgment. It is also a declaration of perpetual stewardship by the Kalapuyan people. “We have always been here, we will always be here.”
