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PCC Land Acknowledgement

�Ӱ������� gathers on lands belonging to Indigenous peoples of the past, present, and future. This land is the home of the ancestral and contemporary members of many Tribal Nations. All Indigenous peoples continue deep connections with the land, Mother Earth, and seek always to treat the land with reverence and gratitude. These lands are marked by the beauty of the rivers, forests, mountains, and deserts which form the foundation of Indigenous peoples’ creation stories.

�Ӱ������� continues this legacy by advocating for the ancestral place on these lands and by acknowledging the oppression and pain of their stories. We honor the Indigenous ancestors’ wisdom and resilience by preserving this connection with the Creator, the land, and the people.

�Ӱ������� continues to collaborate with Tribal Nations by learning, listening, advocating, and supporting all Indigenous communities in creating meaningful futures.

What is Land Acknowledgement?

The provides important resources on the history of indigenous cultures and an informative of land acknowledgement.

“Land Acknowledgement is a traditional custom that dates back centuries in many Native nations and communities. Today, land acknowledgements are used by Native Peoples and non-Natives to recognize Indigenous Peoples who are the original stewards of the lands on which we now live…

After millennia of Native history, and centuries of displacement and dispossession, acknowledging original Indigenous inhabitants is complex. Many places in the Americas have been home to different Native Nations over time, and many Indigenous people no longer live on lands to which they have ancestral ties. Even so, Native Nations, communities, families, and individuals today sustain their sense of belonging to ancestral homelands and protect these connections through Indigenous languages, oral traditions, ceremonies, and other forms of cultural expression.”

�Ӱ������� has physical campuses in three regions of the state. The �Ӱ������� Campus includes eight buildings on 33 acres located in central �Ӱ������� and the Center for Teaching and Learning within St. Mary Corwin Hospital in the historic Bessemer neighborhood of �Ӱ�������. The Fremont Campus is situated in the foothills of Cañon City. Both �Ӱ������� and Canon City straddle the Arkansas River in Colorado. In the Southwestern corner of Colorado, the Southwest Campus is comprised of the Mancos Campus, situated across from Mesa Verde National Park, and the Durango Site in the city of Durango. The Southwestern Campus is within proximity of several natural landmarks sacred to Indigenous cultures, historic Indigenous dwellings, and contemporary Indigenous populations.

Although �Ӱ������� recognizes that Land Acknowledgement is complicated and controversial, our Land Acknowledgement is used publicly as an important reminder of our responsibility to serve Indigenous students within our regions. �Ӱ�������’s original Land Acknowledgement research and statement were developed by Maria de la Cruz, who has a for Indigenous peoples throughout her life, and we are grateful for the work that she initiated. In practice, the Land Acknowledgment must be read or published unaltered, in its entirety. However, the statement is a living work that has evolved and will continue to change as our college is guided by our Indigenous communities.