MSOE encourages students, faculty and staff to acknowledge the Indigenous land in which we reside. A Land Acknowledgement is a formal statement that recognizes and respects the history and presence of Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and their enduring relationship to their traditional homelands. We aim to celebrate the Indigenous communities that are woven into the fabric of campus. A land acknowledgment can be read at the start of a ceremony or campus event. Take some time to practice the pronunciations of the tribes and reflect on the purpose of reading it. To learn more about land acknowledgments, visit nativegov.org/resources.

MSOE’s Land Acknowledgement, authored by Dr. Patrick Jung: “We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the land the MSOE campus occupies. We acknowledge in Milwaukee that we are on the traditional homeland of the Anishinaabe people, particularly the Boodewaadamiig (Potawatomis) as well as the Ojibweg (Ojibwas) and Odawaag (Ottawas), all three of whom composed the United Bands of the Potawatomis, Ojibwas and Ottawas in southeastern Wisconsin. We honor the history and the people of this land.”

Dr. Patrick Jung is a professor in MSOE’s Humanities, Social Science and Communication Department. His areas of specialization are Indian-white relations in the Great Lakes region and 20th century German art history.

Our Work with Menominee Tribal Enterprises

From 2019 to 2022, the Menominee Nation of Wisconsin and Menominee Tribal Enterprises Inc. hosted MSOE students in the MSOE Honors Program. Several of these visits occurred on the Menominee Reservation, and students learned about the Menominee Nation’s sustained forestry practices and their lumber and woodworking operations in Neopit on the Menominee Reservation. Other visits (particularly during the pandemic) occurred in a virtual environment. During the 2019 visit, MSOE students also visited the Menominee Tribal Museum and heard a talk by the Menominee Tribal Historic Preservation Officer David Grignon. Read more about the project.

MSOE also worked with Menominee Tribal Enterprises (MTE) on “The Next 50 Years” project in honor of the start of Earth Day. This initiative was a year-long multifaceted project of MSOE students working with MTE to promote social unity, environmental consciousness and youth empowerment. The project involved a series of events, collaborations and environmental literacy campaigns centered around Earth Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2022 to celebrate the Menominee nation’s sustainable practices.

Students were in charge of leading a coloring and essay contest for primary schoolers, designing a video game to teach sustainable foresting practices, and working with city authorities to plant a peace tree and develop a mural in a local park. MSOE partnered with Milwaukee Recreation, MTE and artist Rozalia Singh to plant a symbolic tree and create a mural on Milwaukee’s east side in Pulaski Playfield in 2021. Read more about the project.