“We've lived in places with such efficiency and grace that later people who have come to our homelands have considered them to be empty of human beings; and they've called this a wilderness because they didn't see us in those places. They couldn't imagine that a people could live so well in a land that it would appear untouched by them. And we live with the dilemma of that to this day.” – Paul Ongtooguk (Iñupiaq educator)

As the movement to honor the perpetual stewardship of Indigenous peoples through land acknowledgements in higher education grows, we pause to ask: is this meaningful? Does this increase awareness of past harms committed against Indigenous communities or advance meaningful action toward rectifying those harms? To get to the heart of these questions, we must be willing to examine the harmful legacy of oppression enacted through the education system in the United States and worldwide.

In this special session, several Alaska Native educators will engage participants in thoughtfully considering the role of higher education in the assimilation of Native students and extraction of Native knowledge to its own benefit, and uplift questions and ideas that help align efforts beyond land acknowledgements to the transformation of the relationship between universities and Native communities.

Registration:  https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwscOGrqzguE9Gkpy-E4FibPvdSlLIRZ-TV

Make sure you RSVP with the CLSE and the hosting unit! 

·      RSVP for the workshop with the CLSE here by clicking “RSVP” in the upper right corner. If you decide not to attend, please “Cancel RSVP”. 

·      Also RSVP with the hosting unit (if other than the CLSE) using the event webpage linked above. 

 

Following the workshop, email Erica Szeyller.1 to confirm your attendance for the full event time. If you were not able to attend the full event, email Erica Szeyller.1 to discuss the possibility of 5001 course points.