About

The idea of celebrating the arrival of Columbus in North America is upsetting for many Native Americans, who view the event as the start of genocide and 500 years of colonial oppression that they continue to carry the consequences of today. Many note that “Columbus didn’t discover anything” and that claiming Columbus “discovered” the Americas erases all of the thriving cultures who were already here. Despite enduing generations of genocide, Native communities are resilient and fighting for their place in American society and history. Indigenous Peoples’ Day was first proposed in the 1970s; in 1990 South Dakota was the first state to celebrate Native Americans’ Day instead of Columbus Day (NPR 2019). Now over a dozen states and many cities (including this year Philadelphia) celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The Pennsylvania State University campuses are located on the original homelands of the Erie, Haudenosaunee (Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and Tuscarora), Lenape (Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe, Stockbridge-Munsee), Shawnee (Absentee, Eastern, and Oklahoma), Susquehannock, and Wahzhazhe (Osage) Nations.  As a land grant institution, we acknowledge and honor the traditional caretakers of these lands and strive to understand and model their responsible stewardship. We also acknowledge the longer history of these lands and our place in that history.

The Morrill Land-grant Act of 1862 established the land grant university system and provided support financial support to Penn State, the Commonwealth’s land-grant university.  Monies were derived from the sale of land dispossessed from Native Americans, primarily lands west of the Mississippi River.

Acknowledgement of Land: In collaboration with the Indigenous Peoples Student Association (IPSA) and the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance (IFSA)

Statement of Land Acknowledgment: Association of Public and Land Grant Universities

Indigenous students attend Penn State; Indigenous faculty and staff work here. Indigenous organizations on campus include the Indigenous People Student Association (IPSA) and the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance (IFSA).

This year, the Penn State Geography Department will celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day with a Campus Adventure. Join us to learn about Native people in Pennsylvania and to celebrate the role they have had, and continue to have, in shaping our environment and society. We strongly encourage you to spend some time learning beyond this event, for example check out https://native-land.ca/ and https://www.landgrabu.org/.

When

Oct 11 to 15 (plan to spend 1-2 hours)

Where

Across University Park campus (other campus locations are also invited to participate)

How it works

 

Why should you participate?

  • Extra credit: The following courses are offering extra-credit for participation (find at least 5 items): GEOG 230, GEOG 260, GEOG 364 (more to be added). Collect 5 of the listed items to get extra credit, in one of the above courses (you choose which one).
  • Prizes: There are also prizes to be won! The top 2 or 3 undergraduate students, top 2 or 3 graduate students and top 2 or 3 faculty members will receive a small piece of art by a Native artist. Submissions will be judged by the Belonging, Dignity and Justice (aka DEI) Committee based on the number of items collected (multiple from one category allowed), diversity and uniqueness / innovativeness of items collected.
  • Community building: Sign up to join a team lead by one of our faculty members here A great chance to learn and reflect together!
Prizes
Prizes: Art work by Anishinabee woodland artist Jim Oskineegish of Eabametoong First Nation.

The list of items to find and photograph will be made available on the morning of October 11.