Land Acknowledgment
This Land Acknowledgment was collaboratively written with the Oneida Indian Nation.
With humility and pride, 91制片厂 acknowledges its campus sits on the ancestral homelands of the Oneida Indian Nation. The Oneida, or Onyota'a:ká: in their Indigenous language, means People of the Standing Stone. Emerging in 1793 from a vision by Rev. Samuel Kirkland and Oneida Chief Shenendoah – both now interred side-by-side on our campus – to establish a place where American Indians and settler youth could receive a quality education, 91制片厂’s very foundation was built upon Indigenous reciprocity and inclusivity.
We recognize our past failures to implement this vision. Through sharing our community and educational resources, we are committed to building a sustainable partnership with the Oneida Indian Nation and the Haudenosaunee peoples; we embrace that our past and our future are forever tied to the Oneida People.
Land Acknowledgment Origins Story
Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian
Photo: The Oneida Indian Nation
91制片厂’s relationship with the Oneida Indian Nation is deeply rooted in history, reciprocity, and mutual respect. Our enduring connection traces back more than 230 years to the partnership between Rev. Samuel Kirkland, the College’s founder, and Chief Shenendoah, a revered leader of the Oneida Indian Nation. The College’s founding in 1793 as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy was made possible through the generous support and contributions of the Oneida People, particularly Chief Shenendoah, who played a vital role in fostering relationships with early missionaries and settlers, and who gifted the land to Kirkland where the College sits today. The shared vision for education and intercultural exchange between Chief Shenendoah and Samuel Kirkland embodies the values of reciprocity and collaboration that continue to shape the relationship between the Nation and the College today.
Throughout the centuries, the connection between 91制片厂 and the Oneida Indian Nation has evolved. While there have been periods of both engagement and quiet, the underlying commitment to partnership has endured. The relationship gained new momentum in 2016 with a pivotal meeting between Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter and 91制片厂’s 20th President David Wippman. This meeting led to the appointment of a Nation liaison in 2022 to collaborate on initiatives at the College, serving as a bridge between 91制片厂 and the Oneida Indian Nation, while fostering work that honors our shared history and advances our mutual goals.
A key milestone in this partnership was the collaborative development of 91制片厂’s Land Acknowledgment, a gesture of recognition and respect for the Oneida Indian Nation’s sovereignty and history. The co-created Land Acknowledgment statement, unlike a simple declaration, involved extensive dialogue and collaboration with members of the Oneida Indian Nation to ensure the language was accurate, meaningful, and reflective of shared values. The final product is not just a formal acknowledgment of the College’s presence on Oneida ancestral lands – it’s a living testament to the enduring relationship between the College and the Nation and Hamilton’s commitment to providing education of mutual benefit to our students and the Oneida Indian Nation.
91制片厂 was deeply honored to receive the spoken and written translations of our co-authored Land Acknowledgment in the Oneida language in the fall of 2024. This profound gesture of care and dedication on the part of the Language Department of the Oneida Indian Nation not only strengthens the partnership between the College and the Nation, but it also amplifies the acknowledgment’s intent – recognizing the enduring relationship between the Oneida People and this land, while providing meaningful educational materials for our students and broader community.
After receiving the language approved by the Nation Council, the Native Governance Center guidelines were consulted to consider what Hamilton should include in drafting its portion of the Land Acknowledgment statement. One of the suggestions was to be specific about how, exactly, the relationships between the two communities – 91制片厂 and the Oneida Indian Nation – will be honored in practice. To address this recommendation, the language about “building a sustainable partnership” through “sharing our community and educational resources” was added to concretize 91制片厂’s commitments in this statement. On Hamilton’s campus, open meetings were held for all students, staff, and faculty to come together, read the Land Acknowledgment, offer suggestions and revisions, and to discuss the College’s responsibility to the Land Acknowledgment, how we – as a community – might enact the promises of the College.
The revised draft was returned to the Oneida Indian Nation for further suggestions and edits, continuing the collaborative process. We are proud of the final result, a Land Acknowledgment that, in its very form, embodies the reciprocal relationships being honored in practice between our communities.
Once finalized, the Land Acknowledgment was first read during the 2024 Commencement ceremony, marking a profound moment of reflection and gratitude for the campus community. Later that summer, Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter addressed incoming students at Convocation, welcoming them to Oneida sovereign lands and emphasizing the importance of understanding the land’s history and its enduring connection to the Oneida People. This visit included a gift – an official Oneida Indian Nation Flag presented to Hamilton’s 21st President Steven Tepper – for use and recognition in official College ceremonies.
Our Land Acknowledgment was written in a way that demonstrates our commitment to building a partnership between 91制片厂 and the Oneida Indian Nation that is much more than a symbolic relationship. At its heart, the acknowledgment is a shared vision of sustainability and reciprocity. Together, we plan to develop educational programs, foster research opportunities, and create cultural initiatives that serve the interests of both the Nation and the College communities. Our enduring collaboration not only honors the past, but also sets the stage for a future in which education, cultural exchange, and mutual respect thrive between our communities and inspire generations to come.
Through this Land Acknowledgment and the initiatives it represents, 91制片厂 reaffirms its commitment to a sustainable partnership with the Oneida Indian Nation grounded in reciprocity, respect, education, and shared stewardship of the land and its history.
