A graduating senior invited us to his Colorado State University commencement in December. Following the dean’s welcome, a vice president for inclusive excellence moved to the podium. She somberly informed us that CSU is a land-grant college; the university, the research it facilitates, and the education acquired result, to a degree, from lands unjustly taken. She invited the audience to reflect on this historic injustice.
Globally, most people live on land previously occupied by others. On the British Isles, the Romans displaced ancient Celts, only to be displaced by Saxons who were later displaced by Normans. In the Middle East, various Aramaic peoples were displaced by Byzantine Greeks who were displaced by Arabs who were then displaced by Turks. In East Asia, the Han Chinese are displacing Uyghurs, Mongolians, and Kazakhs.
The vice president for inclusive excellence opined to the commencement audience that the worst incursion was the Europeans who displaced Native Americans. Lands were stolen, indigenous cultures marginalized. As documented by Ken Burns’s film The American Buffalo, environmentally balanced economies were devastated.
Here’s a suggestion: let’s give it back.
The states should give their land-grant colleges to Native Americans. Land-grant colleges occupy land purchased by state governments with money earned from selling lands previously taken from Native Americans. In many cases, land-grant colleges continue to receive funding from the exploitation of stolen lands.
I propose Native American nations take over administration of land-grant colleges within their historic geographic regions. One beauty of this proposal: it excludes private property. Land-grant colleges are held in trust. So simply entrust college administration to Native Americans.
The Kickapoo tribe might administer the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Seneca Nation could administer Cornell University while the Massachusetts tribes manage the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Ohlone tribe could administer the University of California, Berkeley, and the Chumash could administer the University of California, Los Angeles — desperate for new management. My local Colorado State University could be entrusted to the Kiowa.
I’m confident Native Americans will better administer America’s 112 land-grant colleges than do the academics currently in charge. They could not do worse.
Of course, private colleges such as Columbia are exempt. A pity. Then again, the trustees of Columbia might recognize the justice of inviting the local tribes to become trustees of that Ivy League university. Let them deal with the pro-Palestinian protesters. Perhaps Native American trustees would end prohibitions against encampments. Regardless, return Columbia to Native Americans, and let’s see what happens.
All of the vice presidents for inclusive excellence as well as the deans of diversity, equity, and inclusion should embrace this proposal. It’s possible Native Americans would choose to eliminate DEI departments — instead relying upon their own ancient wisdom, traditions, and collaborative decision-making processes. Certainly dedicated practitioners of DEI will sacrifice their personal careers to advance equity.
While we’re at it, let’s give back our National Parks to Native Americans. Again, no private property need be taken; the land is held in trust by the federal government. Indigenous Americans will better administer U.S. parks than does our bureaucracy.
For example, Rocky Mountain National Park here in Colorado is crisscrossed by ugly, eight-foot metal fences. Why? “To reduce the impacts of elk on vegetation and to restore the natural range of variability.” Is it likely that Native Americans would resort to European-style fencing to protect the environment? They will do better. They couldn’t do worse.
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An added fiscal benefit: the elimination a federal bureaucracy, the U.S. National Park Service. A small bureaucracy to be sure, and one of the friendly ones. But still, government reduction.
Let’s give it back!
Dan Nygaard pastors Hope Community Fellowship in Fort Collins, Colorado, and is the author of Star Readers from Out of the East.