Project: Oakland University in Michigan was the first campus in the United States to return land to the Native American community. The land was rematriated for Native American educational and community purposes.

In April 2022, the university put action behind the 2021 Native American Land Acknowledgment when a one-acre portion of campus land was rematriated for Native American educational, community, and ceremonial use. In consultation with Native partners the land was named Gidinawemaaganinaanig: Endazhigiyang (All Our Relations: The Place Where We All Grow). Jud Sojourn at the Center for Native American Studies, Northern Michigan University, translated the name into Anishinaabemowin. This land designation represented the first rematriation of university land in the U.S. and OU’s first step in ensuring that both intentional actions and meaning support the Land Acknowledgment and how it can enhance campus culture in the future.

Sources:

• All My Relations: The Place Where We All Grow
• The Oakland Post
• Click on Detroit