Land Acknowledgment

A land acknowledgment is a formal statement that recognizes Indigenous peoples who have a specific and enduring connection to a particular place. Members of the Cortland community are welcome to use the following statement at the start of public events and in other appropriate venues.

Main campus

The State University of New York at Cortland would like to respectfully acknowledge the land we occupy today at Cortland as the traditional, ancestral home of the Iroquois (Ee-ro-koi) or Haudenosaunee (Ho-dee-noh-show-nee), the People of the Longhouse. In particular, we recognize the Onondaga Nation, the central firekeepers of the six-nation Haudenosaunee Confederacy, whose ancestral territories include the land on which our institution now stands. We take this opportunity to thank the original occupants of this place for their historical and continued stewardship.  

Raquette Lake

The State University of New York at Cortland would like to respectfully acknowledge the land we occupy today at Raquette Lake as the traditional, ancestral home of the Iroquois (Ee-ro-koi) or Haudenosaunee (Ho-dee-noh-show-nee), the People of the Longhouse. In particular, we recognize the Mohawk peoples, whose ancestral territories include the land on which our institution now stands. We take this opportunity to thank the original occupants of this place for their historical and continued stewardship. 

Land acknowledgment resources

There are many perspectives on land acknowledgments and their purpose. To learn more, visit these resources:

• Native Land Digital
• Acknowledging Native Homelands
• Land Acknowledgment Toolkit
• Know the Land Territories Campaign