American Indian & Indigenous Studies Program

Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' (the Cayuga Nation). The Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. The confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York state and the United States of America. We acknowledge the painful history of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' people, past and present, to these lands and waters.

This land acknowledgment has been reviewed and approved by the traditional Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' leadership. 

AIISP launched the Cornell University and Indigenous Dispossession Project in June 2020 to research Cornell's ties to the violent displacement of Indigenous peoples and advocate for redress. The project was prompted by a March 2020 study published in High Country News that exposed the ties between Indigenous dispossession and the United States Land-Grant College system, and Cornell's prominent role in that process. AIISP has produced a blog that contains informative articles, videos, and audio podcasts about these issues. AIISP plans diplomatic outreach to the almost 250 Indigenous Nations affected by Cornell's actions to discuss this history and possible remedies.