25th Interdisciplinary SLAT Roundtable

ILC ROOMS & TECH

Land Acknowledgements

As members of the University of Arizona, we would like to acknowledge and thank the Tohono O'odham and Pascua Yaqui peoples upon whose land we are guests here in Tucson as well as the 22 federally recognized Indian tribes in Arizona today.

“The University of Arizona sits on the original homelands of indigenous peoples who have stewarded this land since time immemorial. Aligning with the university’s core value of a diverse and inclusive community, it is an institutional responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the people, culture and history that make up the Wildcat community. At the institutional level, it is important to be proactive in broadening awareness throughout campus to ensure our students feel represented and valued.”

• University Land Acknowledgement Statement.

As a land grant institution, the University of Arizona recognizes tribal sovereignty and honors the indigenous homelands of the Tohono O’odham people in which it resides.

 -The University of Arizona, Native American Student Affairs (NASA). 

The Tohono O’odham are the Desert People of the North American Southwest. As a federally recognized tribe the Tohono O’odham occupy the second largest reservation in the state of Arizona. Tohono O’odham ancestral lands range from the contemporary City of Phoenix to the Sea of Cortez, Mexico. Many Tohono O’odham today continuously occupy their ancestral range as they did thousands of years ago in what is today the United States and Mexico. This range includes the City of Tucson Basin where the University of Arizona campus is located. 

-The Tohono O’odham Student Association (TOSA) at the University of Arizona.

The Pascua Yaqui people are descendants of the ancient Toltecs from northern Mexico, and originally lived along the Río Yaqui or Yaqui River (Yoem Vatwe) in Sonora, Mexico. Many reside near what iås now southwestTucson continuing to live in the Gila and Santa Cruz River Valleys as they have for hundreds of years with five communities located in southern Arizona.

• Pascua Yaqui Tribe webpage.

Today the meeting place of Tucson [O'odham name Cuk son (Chook-son) which translates as 'Black Base' of what is now A Mountain] is still the home to many Indigenous peoples and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work in the community and on this territory.

• Arizona Commision of Indian Affairs.