YOU ARE ON STOLEN LAND
A NECESSARY LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This brief land acknowledgment was provided to us by the Eckerd Diversity Action Council. In the Fall of 2021, this group will be releasing an official statement to be included on Eckerd's webpage. Keep an eye out for this and the important events that follow next semester. The work below is a draft of this effort.
Eckerd College celebrates the beautiful campus that it calls home and teaches the importance of environmental stewardship as a core value. An important part of this commitment is acknowledging the Indigenous communities, past and present, who are the traditional custodians of this land.
Eckerd College acknowledges that its campus lies within the traditional homelands of the Seminole people, as well as that of the Tocobaga and other historical groups whose history here stretches back more than 12,000 years. We recognize the profound resilience of Seminole, Miccosukee, Muscogee, Choctaw, and people of other Native groups who, despite centuries of colonial oppression, continue to call Florida home. As a campus community, we commit to learning and teaching Native American history and culture, recognizing and honoring the presence of Indigenous people, and caring for the land that has become our home to the best of our ability.
You might be wondering, isn't Eckerd built on fill land? And the answer is largely, yes.
This does not mean, however, that the water space where our school is was not a salient resource for indigenous communities. It is important to understand that this space was used as fishing and trapping grounds for communities that came before us. People have also lived on this land as far back as 14,000 years ago, which means there were people using and inhabiting this land during times when the coastline extended much farther out into the bay and this area was naturally dry land.
An important note: When thinking about land use we must also challenge what our own definitions of "property" are. Just because it could not be used for profit directly, does not mean this space was not valued. Many of our definitions of property are informed by our economic system, capitalism. When considering this topic we ask that you might reflect on and challenge the narrative you've likely been told in regard to land ownership. Reflect upon this damaging narrative in the context of BIPOC individuals and communities.
Important Resources to Enhance Your Learning
These are the official websites of the Seminole Tribe, Miccosukee Tribe, Muscogee Nation, and Choctaw Nation. They include rich information about the history, culture, and/or governmental structures of the Tribes:
The Seminole Tribe of Florida's website
Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida website
The Muscogee Nation of Florida website
A timeline created by Pinellas County highlighting parts of history from 14,000 years ago to 1888:
Pinellas Counties account of the early history of the area
This is a webpage that allows you to explore whose native land you are on and the history behind it throughout the U.S as well as other parts of the world:
Finally, a very abundant resource full of many links to written histories, audio clips, videos, and more: