Today we honor the culture and resiliency of Indigenous peoples and reflect on the importance of their rich contributions to the tapestry of our university, state, nation, and world.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a special time for recognition and celebration. The University of Vermont is deeply committed to honoring Indigenous people, their history and legacy and their vital places within our community now and into the future. That commitment is brought to life throughout the year in our land acknowledgement and embodied in the special events we have scheduled for Indigenous Peoples’ Day. You can find information about the day’s events at go.uvm.edu/ipd2023

Later this month, UVM will mark the one-year anniversary of the adoption of the land acknowledgement that is read at events such as convocation and commencement. Land acknowledgment is seen within Indigenous cultures as crucial to raising our awareness of Indigenous people and their enduring relationship as stewards of these traditional territories.

Composed with input from the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs and adopted through a Board of Trustees resolution on Oct. 29, 2022, the statement stands as a crucial step in addressing the history of marginalization, strengthening cross-cultural relations, and celebrating the State of Vermont’s recognition of the four Abenaki bands:

   • Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation 

   • Elnu Abenaki Tribe 

   • Koasek Abenaki Tribe 

   • Mississquoi Abenaki Tribe 

The University of Vermont’s commencement ceremony on May 21 included the first public reading of the land acknowledgement, by University Herald Lisa Schnell:

“The campus of the University of Vermont sits within a place of gathering and exchange, shaped by water and stewarded by ongoing generations of Indigenous peoples, in particular the Western Abenaki.

Acknowledging the relations between water, land, and people is in harmony with the mission of the university. Acknowledging the serious and significant impacts of our histories on Indigenous peoples and their homelands is a part of the university’s ongoing work of teaching, research, and engagement and an essential reminder of our past and our interconnected futures for the many of us gathered on this land.

UVM respects the Indigenous knowledge interwoven in this place and commits to uplifting the Indigenous peoples and cultures present on this land and within our community.”

Our land acknowledgement is just one piece of the university’s recognition and celebration of Indigenous peoples’ history and culture. I am delighted to share details of other UVM events that address this important topic.

This year, UVM’s recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day includes a panel and film discussion today from noon to 1 p.m. of What Was Ours, a documentary about a Shoshone elder and two Arapaho youths on a journey to find artifacts taken from their tribes. The film is available to watch on demand through UVM Library Streaming at go.uvm.edu/whatwasours 

The panel will include Sherwood Smith, Senior Executive Director for Inclusive Excellence and a UVM faculty member; Phil Morin, the Fleming Museum’s Manager of Campus and Community Engagement; and John G. Crock, Associate Professor of Anthropology at UVM and the Director of the University of Vermont Consulting Archaeology Program (UVM CAP). The discussion can be joined in-person at the Waterman Building Memorial Lounge or via Teams at go.uvm.edu/indigenouspeoplesday

Last month, Dr. Henrietta Mann gave a presentation at UVM entitled A Cheyenne Woman’s Academic Journey in Native American Studies, the inaugural installment in an annual lecture series hosted by the Rubinstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. Dr. Mann is the founding president of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal College and a professor at Montana State University, where she served as the inaugural chair of the Native American Studies department. Her presentation at UVM can be viewed online at go.uvm.edu/mannpresentation

These examples of storytelling are vital in helping us understand and embrace Indigenous peoples’ experiences and their importance to our community – past, present, and future. Please join me in honoring the true history of our nation and celebrating the stories and traditions of Indigenous people.  Their lives and contributions are a vital part of our community.