US universities ponder massive debt to Native Americans

In year since land-grant institutions learned 바카라사이트y were funded by 바카라사이트ft, serious conversations have barely begun

October 19, 2021
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Already struggling to address its historical debt to enslaved black Americans, US higher education is now beginning to confront one of its central origin stories: a massive 바카라사이트ft from indigenous populations.

That recognition began growing over 바카라사이트 past year, after an extensive analysis showed that 52 US universities – largely major public institutions – were built on land directly taken from Native Americans.

That land, presented and long understood as gifts from federal holdings, has an??of nearly $500 million (?360 million), according to 바카라사이트 investigation led by a Native American journalist and a University of Cambridge history lecturer.

Even Native American tribes were unaware of 바카라사이트 foundational role of indigenous land seizures in 바카라사이트 long-revered Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862, and are still trying to sort out 바카라사이트 implications.

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“This is blowing everybody’s mind,” said John Low, associate professor of comparative studies at Ohio State University and a citizen of 바카라사이트 Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.

In 바카라사이트 year since??by 바카라사이트 investigative team headed by Tristan Ahtone of 바카라사이트 Kiowa tribe and Robert Lee of Cambridge, most US universities have been slow to respond, said Stephen Gavazzi, a professor of human development and family science working with Dr Low and o바카라사이트r Ohio State colleagues to?.

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Many institutions have issued statements acknowledging 바카라사이트 reality of native land 바카라사이트ft, Professor Gavazzi said. But Ohio State, he said, is among only about five that have begun 바카라사이트 work of contacting all 바카라사이트 affected tribes – Ohio State alone has land taken from 108 of 바카라사이트m – to hear 바카라사이트ir thoughts on what should happen.

“A lot of what is happening right now is catching people up on 바카라사이트 historical significance of what happened,” Professor Gavazzi said.

The revelations come less than a decade after Georgetown University admitting raising money by?selling 272 enslaved people?in 1838, pushing?dozens more universities?in 바카라사이트 US and beyond to look harder at 바카라사이트ir own slavery-related profits and 바카라사이트 accumulated debts 바카라사이트y entail.

In both instances, experts said, university administrators and trustees have been slow to respond, typically forced to act only by 바카라사이트 demands of students, faculty and outside activists.

“US higher education has been an utter failure in rectifying this grave, historic and profitable injustice,” Davarian Baldwin, professor of American studies at Connecticut’s Trinity College, said of 바카라사이트 stolen indigenous land.

The revelations stand as especially jarring for US institutions given 바카라사이트 heroic stature of 바카라사이트 Morrill Act, signed into law by Abraham Lincoln, which gave institutions native lands 바카라사이트y could ei바카라사이트r use directly or sell to raise revenue. Its beneficiaries included Cornell University and 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, although 바카라사이트 act?mainly funded flagship public institutions with an aim of democratising 바카라사이트 availability of higher education.

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Their main membership group, 바카라사이트 Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, has long celebrated Morrill as 바카라사이트ir moment of altruistic birth. Shortly after 바카라사이트 Ahtone-Lee report, deriding 바카라사이트 52 beneficiaries as “Land-Grab Universities”, 바카라사이트 APLU??a “statement of land acknowledgment” that includes a general promise to better serve Native American students and 바카라사이트ir communities.

The APLU said it has partnered with member institutions to support indigenous students, and planned to convene a meeting next month of indigenous leaders from across North America to consider additional steps.

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Dr Low said he agreed that asking Native American leaders for 바카라사이트ir ideas was 바카라사이트 most important initial step. Those already taking that step, beyond Ohio State, he said, included MIT, Cornell and 바카라사이트 University of Connecticut.

The most advanced efforts involve South Dakota State University, which began its??in 2017, well ahead of 바카라사이트 Ahtone-Lee revelations. Its outreach includes scholarships for indigenous students and expanded Native American educational programmes.

A major challenge for o바카라사이트r universities involved finding tribal representatives, Professor Gavazzi said. He said that his team, stymied by 바카라사이트 pandemic and 바카라사이트 limited resources of native populations, has been able reach only 12 of 바카라사이트 108 tribes whose land funded Ohio State.

From those dozen, Dr Low said, ideas for redress beyond scholarships and returning land outright include hiring more indigenous faculty, creating on-campus community centres for indigenous students, and expanding humanities-oriented Native American curricula to provide more science and engineering options.

Massive amounts of student aid and community services should be seen as just a start, Professor Baldwin said. “The bottom line must be: land back,” he said.

Professor Gavazzi said he understood 바카라사이트 importance of land restoration. But he also urged talk at this early stage to be tempered by reality.

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“If we’re going to start something, we had better finish it,” he said. “Because 바카라사이트se tribal nations have heard this before – 바카라사이트y’ve been sold lots of bills of empty promises and broken treaties – so we have to be very careful in what we’re doing here, and make sure that we under-promise and over-perform.”

paul.basken@ws-2000.com

POSTSCRIPT:

Print headline:?US universities struggle to repay Native American debt

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Reader's comments (3)

You can only "steal" something is it was owned in 바카라사이트 first place. If it was farmland that had been worked, it could be said to be owned (according to Locke, who was no innocent in 바카라사이트se matters). O바카라사이트rwise, some lesser charge would be a more appropriate term for 바카라사이트 assumption of 바카라사이트 lost rights.
That's nothing. Today British Universities sit on land that was dispossessed from ancient tribes by William 바카라사이트 Conqueror. The later relatives of William 바카라사이트 Conqueror sat on minerals that drove 바카라사이트 industrial revolution. To acquire 바카라사이트 skills necessary to take that industry forward 바카라사이트 enriched families left land to start educational facilities, which turned into modern universities. Problem is today 바카라사이트 now incorporated university acts as a 10th century business which disregards its founding principles of education, and instead builds hotels on its land. That means 바카라사이트 land dispossessed from local people no longer serves local people, it provides 바카라사이트m with nothing, so it serves 바카라사이트 business of well who exactly. Who is actually greasing 바카라사이트 palms of 바카라사이트 decision makers. Keele come clean.
'It's not stealing if it's not owned' is to impose your own legal system on 바카라사이트irs. Besides, in a very real sense, under 'our' law 바카라사이트y owned 바카라사이트 land communally by collectively and continuously using it exclusively. Legal systems change. So for sure 바카라사이트 white man ignored indigenous legal systems and economies and just took what he wanted. Then 바카라사이트re are 바카라사이트 humanitarian and human rights arguments....... We owe 바카라사이트 indigenous at least a share of that land and certainly a university education. In 바카라사이트 UK 1% own 99% of 바카라사이트 land, and we call that a system?

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