VCFA Land Acknowledgment

Vermont College of Fine Arts sits in N’dakinna [in-DAH-kee-NAH], the ancestral and unceded land of the traditional caretakers of Vermont lands and waters, the Western Abenaki people. As guests in N’dakinna, we recognize the dispossession and invisibilization of Indigenous communities, and their resiliency. We strengthen and celebrate our relationship with N’dakinna by honoring its past and finding our place in its future. We offer our respect and gratitude to the traditional caretakers for their stewardship by seeking to uplift indigenous peoples, cultures, and arts.

 

VCFA recognizes that we operate and work on the land traditionally stewarded by the Abenaki people, the original caretakers of the lands and waters of this area. With our land acknowledgment, we take an intentional step to nurturing our relationships with the land and its inhabitants and creating a space of inclusion, welcoming, and belonging for our communities and guests.

The land acknowledgment statement itself is a small gesture, a meaningful action towards forming authentic relationships with the lands, peoples, and non-human relatives. It invites us to take continued steps to be good stewards of this place as the traditional caretakers once did and still do. Our statement provides an entry point to encourage people to learn about the history, the trauma, and the hardships indigenous communities continue to endure. We hope to inspire and challenge people to take action steps and find their reciprocal place in the physical world.

Language

We lean into language that may cause discomfort. We use language to reflect the truth of invisiblization and how we come to reside on the land. We use language to recognize indigenous peoples’ strength in maintaining an indivisible relationship with their homeland and culture.

Beyond the Statement

The adoption of the land acknowledgment is a starting point. We have much to do, and this is the work of the college, departments, and academic programs. As a community, we must continue examining and evaluating how we can honor and celebrate indigenous peoples, cultures, and arts in our work.

Ceremonial Use of the Statement

Ceremonial events can be in-person or virtual, such as but not limited to graduations, Board of Trustees’ meetings and events, residency openings, and other occasions that require an official opening or introduction by a college official.

The reading of the statement is the first order of business with deliberation and pauses. The statement contains carefully crafted language in consultation with an indigenous consultant; therefore, the statement must not be altered or amended without dialogue and consultation.

 

IN-PERSON VERSION

Vermont College of Fine Arts sits in N’dakinna [in-DAH-kee-NAH], the ancestral and unceded land of the traditional caretakers of Vermont lands and waters, the Western Abenaki people. As guests in N’dakinna, we recognize the dispossession and invisibilization of Indigenous communities, and their resiliency. We strengthen and celebrate our relationship with N’dakinna by honoring its past and finding our place in its future. We offer our respect and gratitude to the traditional caretakers for their stewardship by seeking to uplift indigenous peoples, cultures, and arts.

We invite you to take this moment of pause to consider our indivisible connection to this land, to the living world, to our non-human relatives, and to each other.

We seek to nurture this connection.

 

VIRTUAL VERSION

Vermont College of Fine Arts sits in N’dakinna [in-DAH-kee-NAH], the ancestral and unceded land of the traditional caretakers of Vermont lands and waters, the Western Abenaki people. As guests in N’dakinna, we recognize the dispossession and invisibilization of Indigenous communities, and their resiliency. We strengthen and celebrate our relationship with N’dakinna by honoring its past and finding our place in its future. We offer our respect and gratitude to the traditional caretakers for their stewardship by seeking to uplift indigenous peoples, cultures, and arts.

We invite you to take this moment of pause to consider our indivisible connection to this land and the land you are joining us virtually from, to the living world, to our non-human relatives, and to each other.

We seek to nurture this connection.

If you are unsure of the traditional caretakers of the land you reside on, please visit native-land.ca.