Land Acknowlegement

The Department of Theatre & Dance acknowledges that our performances take place on the ancestral homelands of several Tribal Nations, including the Kansa/Kaw, Osage, and Shawnee. Specifically, the University of Kansas occupies land forcefully ceded in an 1825 treaty with the Kansa/Kaw Nation and a later treaty removing the Delaware/Lenape people.

This traditional territory was not a single property with border lines but rather maintained by Tribal peoples as traditional stewards, and we recognize an enduring relationship exists tying Tribal peoples to the land. Elements of the land remain embedded into their Tribal identities, culture, and language. The Department emphatically recognizes and supports the sovereignty of the four federally recognized Tribal Nations present in Kansas today: the Potawatomi, Kickapoo, Sac and Fox, and Iowa.

When we gather in our community spaces, we ask that you all take a moment to give thanks for this day as we celebrate the contributions of our productions. We ask that you feel the good energy, passion, and commitment of the students and help us to honor the gifts they share. We wish for you to be rejuvenated and take this good energy and find a way to share a little with your own community and others. The world needs laughter, music, dance, and the arts—the language of universal love. The land is home to us all. In the name of humanity, we ask for a final moment of reflection as we recognize and honor the past and, most importantly, the arts and culture of the original people of this land.

The Department looks forward to future partnerships and collaborations that honor this land acknowledgement.