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Eugene School District 4J

Equity. Excellence. Innovation.

Land Acknowledgment

Land Acknowledgement

The following land acknowledgment statement is shared by the board chair at the beginning of each school board meeting. The statement text was provided by Dr. Brenda Brainard and the 4J Natives Program: 

The Eugene School Board would like to acknowledge that our institution sits on the homelands of the Kalapuya people.

In the treaties of 1851 and 1854–1855, and the subsequent forced removals of many Indian people from western Oregon, some of the Kalapuya were moved to the Grand Ronde Reservation and some were moved to the Siletz Reservation.  It is important to note that all of Lane County was an important trading and gathering area for camas and other resources.

During the Restoration Era, from 1977 to 1989, Lane County was designated as the Service Area for the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Coquille Indian Tribe, and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians.

Eugene School District 4J acknowledges that descendants of the original and Service Area inhabitants of this land are still here today. They are thriving members of our schools and our communities. Countless members of other tribes now also call our community and schools their home.

We wish to thank those original stewards of this land. We as fellow stewards of this land wish to remember that we need to take good care of this land and take good care of all members of our school district and community.