Land Acknowledgment

As we gather here today, we honor and acknowledge that we are on the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Nations. This area was also the site of trade, hunting, gathering, and healing for many other Native Nations: The Lakota, Ute, Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Shoshone, and others.

We recognize the Indigenous peoples as the original stewards of the land, water, the plants, and animals who called this place home.  As these words of acknowledgment are spoken and heard, the ties that these nations have to their traditional homelands are renewed and reaffirmed. Let us also acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory. We respect the many diverse Indigenous peoples still connected to this land on which we gather. We pay our respect to them and give thanks to all Tribal Nations and the ancestors of this place.

We also want to recognize the community and families of Auraria displaced by the creation of this campus for Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and University of Colorado Denver to have a place that we can call our learning community.