Land Acknowledgment

Honoring Our Land

NC State University thanks Native community partners and all three university self-governing bodies — student, faculty and staff senates — for advocating to bring forth a community-driven land acknowledgment. Our statement is a vital step toward cultivating a culture of belonging for our Native students, faculty and staff.

Our Acknowledgment

NC State University is a land-grant institution for the people of North Carolina and respectfully acknowledges that the lands within and surrounding present-day Raleigh are the traditional homelands and gathering places of many Indigenous peoples, including eight federally and state-recognized tribes: Coharie, Eastern Band of Cherokee, Haliwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Meherrin, Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, Sappony and Waccamaw Siouan. We share an ongoing responsibility to safeguard these lands and to respect the sovereignty of the tribes and Indigenous nations residing in North Carolina. NC State honors all Indigenous peoples who have been and continue to be an integral part of our university’s history and culture.

This statement is authored by the NC State American Indian Advisory Council, Student Government and Native American Student Association, and formally adopted by the NC State Staff Senate, Faculty Senate and Student Senate.

North Carolina’s 8 Recognized Tribes

Connect with our state’s Native communities that shaped and stewarded the lands we know today.

Learn more

Using the Acknowledgment

A land acknowledgment statement may be read at the beginning of events and gatherings to recognize and support Indigenous communities in North Carolina and our university. Members of the campus community are welcome to include the statement in presentations, syllabi and university websites to highlight our ongoing commitment to honoring the experience, history and culture of Native peoples, including Native students, faculty and staff.

When discussing and using the university land acknowledgment, we encourage providing a link to this page to further highlight and connect audiences with Native communities on and off campus.

Community Resources

For more information about the history and present-day experiences of Native people in North Carolina — or to find more ways to connect with the Native community at NC State — you can explore the links below.

Pronunciation Guide

Coharie (co-HAIR-ee) 

Eastern Band of Cherokee (cheh-ruh-kee)

Haliwa-Saponi (HA-lih-WAH  suh-PONY)

Lumbee (LUM-bee)

Meherrin (ma-HAIR-in)

Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation (OAK-uh-NEE-chee suh-PONY)

Sappony (suh-PONY)

Waccamaw Siouan (WOK-uh-ma Soo-uhn)