DTC Land Acknowledgment

Washington State University acknowledges that its locations statewide are on the homelands of Native peoples, who have lived in this region from time immemorial. Currently, there are 42 tribes, 35 of which are federally recognized that share traditional homelands and waterways in what is now Washington State. Some of these are nations and confederacies that represents multiple tribes and bands. The University expresses its deepest respect for and gratitude towards these original and current caretakers of the region. As an academic community, we acknowledge our responsibility to establish and maintain relationships with these tribes and Native peoples, in support of tribal sovereignty and the inclusion of their voices in teaching, research and programming. Washington State University established the Office of Tribal Relations and Native American Programs to guide us in our relationship with tribes and service to Native American students and communities. We also pledge that these relationships will consist of mutual trust, respect, and reciprocity. Read the full text here.

WSU is a public research university committed to its land-grant heritage, its formal Memorandum of Understanding with Native American tribes in the region, and tradition of service to society. DTC is committed to ensuring that we build bridges with Native communities in the Pacific Northwest as part of a decolonizing process through which WSU can confront its roots as an instrument of settler colonialism.

The Washington State University Pullman campus is located on the homelands of the Nimíipuu (Nez Perce) Tribe and the Palus people, the Tri-Cities campus is located on the shared traditional homelands of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. We acknowledge their presence here since time immemorial and recognize their continuing connection to the land, to the water, and to their ancestors.