Not a 'hollow gesture': MassBay installs land acknowledgement, launches scholarship

WELLESLEY — Acknowledging that homes and businesses sit on what was once native land is often an empty gesture — such proclamations are often thrown up on a website, never to be seen again.

When MassBay Community College began considering how it could be more inclusive, one thing that came to mind was a permanent marker, according to President David Podell. To that end, the college last month installed a plaque below the U.S. flag on its main Wellesley campus.

More: Podell leads list of top earners at MassBay Community College

“We’ve never properly acknowledged the original indigenous people who occupied this land — long before anyone even thought of MassBay Community College,” Podell said. “We thought it makes sense to finally — belatedly — acknowledge the land and its origins and acknowledge the people who were here before us."

Dr. Denise Pruitt, program chair for health studies at MassBay, took part in the talks that led to the plaque and an accompanying ceremony. In native circles, she’s known as Chief Ladybug and she also oversees an educational platform called Native Heritage New England. She has Croatan, Massachusetts and Potawatomi tribal affiliations.

Nine tribes participated in the September ceremony.

More: MassBay learning center lands $2 million federal grant 

Pruitt had reached out to native groups in the area about a land acknowledgement and what it should look like for MassBay.

“We wanted to make sure that it wasn’t a hollow gesture,” she said. “One of the things that comes up all the time is everyone wants to acknowledge the land but nobody is looking at reconciliation of it, or the long-term effects.”

Many tribes still call Massachusetts home, with some fighting for sovereignty at the federal level. The state’s name comes from the people on whose land MassBay sits, but the tribe itself is not federally recognized. That means, among other things, would-be scholars are not eligible for tuition credits to state colleges.

Indigenous People Scholarship Fund

MassBay announced that it's launching a scholarship, for which state-recognized tribes are eligible. People can donate to the MassBay Indigenous People Scholarship Fund online.

“This scholarship is going to open doors to even more indigenous people who want to be learners and give an opportunity where there might not have been an opportunity before,” Pruitt said.

Podell stressed that MassBay’s land acknowledgement is not a one-size-fits all approach, and that “each community, each college, has to think about it in its own way and in ways that make sense to the members of the community.” For MassBay, “I see this as an opportunity to not only acknowledge the indigenous people but to learn from them and for all of us to benefit by deepening our understanding of their experiences and the history of this country.”

Pruitt said much progress has been made in the last decade — a national day of mourning on Nov. 24 this year, Indigenous Peoples Day and having an indigenous flag raised at the State House a few weeks ago.

“We need to do more for the first people who were here,” she said. “Baby steps. We’re taking baby steps.”

She said it is wonderful to work at MassBay and feels like she’s part of the forward thinking change that’s happening. Throughout the state and country, she’s hoping to see even more changes in the next 10 years.

“I challenge all other colleges to not just have a land acknowledgement but to put a scholarship in place and to make sure that Massachusetts state Indians are able to come to the college and get an education,” she said. “It’s the least they can do for sitting on our land.”

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Massbay scholarship land acknowledgement indigenous people