Land acknowledgments, while based on good intentions, often fall short of the message they intend to proclaim. While adopted by many universities, these institutions typically do not go further to implement policies or programs that would significantly aid their Indigenous students. Simply recognizing that colonial institutions exist on the lands and waters not belonging to them does not erase the deep and devastating damage of settler colonialism that persists today. The official land acknowledgment from the university is, “The University of Washington acknowledges the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations*”. It is important to note that the asterisk refers to a footnote on the UW website explaining that the acknowledgment includes only federally recognized tribes with the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs. The Duwamish, a non-federally recognized tribe, is not included in this statement. In an interview with Professor Josh Reid of the History and AIS department, he noted that the inclusion of the Duwamish in this acknowledgment would potentially damage UW’s relationship with federally recognized tribes. For example, the Suquamish tribe has donated $15,000 annually to the building of the Intellectual House on campus since its origination. However, organizations like First Nations UW have included the Duwamish in their land acknowledgment, along with the Suquamish, Tulalip, and Muckleshoot tribes.
References
“UW’s Matching Funds Pledge for Intellectual House Spurs Donations.” Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity, 2011. https://www.washington.edu/omad/media/spring-2011/uws-matching-funds-pledge-for-intellectual-house-spurs-donations/.