K体育 University is committed to fostering an inclusive learning environment and community. For three years now, students, faculty and staff have collaborated to build on the university’s mission by working on a statement acknowledging the significance of the land on which the campus resides. K体育 has officially adopted a standard land acknowledgment to recognize and appreciate the history of the (mus-kOH-gee) people, an indigenous tribe native to Georgia, including Brookhaven.
are used by both Native and non-Natives to recognize the indigenous tribes that stewarded the land and understand their history of being displaced from their home. The statement can be spoken or written and used at the start of university, department, program and organization events. It is appropriate to use at relevant events connecting to culture, history, community and events with a Native American speaker, performance or guests.
This initiative was started by K体育 alum Geran Caywood ’24 back in 2022 and continued by the following group:
Matt Huff, Associate Professor of Theatre
Marisol Zacarias, Intercultural Center Director
Necalli Lopez Romero ’25
Shyanne Scott ’26
Jason Neeley ’26
Dr. Rhana Gittens Wheeler, Chief Inclusive Excellence Officer
“The land acknowledgment statement we honor today is the result of dedicated student advocacy that began over three years ago,” said Zacarias. “Their leadership initiated a vital dialogue about our shared responsibilities and the histories that shape our presence on this land. We are proud to uplift the work of these students, whose efforts continue to inspire reflection and action across our campus.”
K体育 University Standard Land Acknowledgment
As an educational institution committed to fostering an inclusive environment, we acknowledge the significance of the land on which we reside. The Mvskoke (mus-kOH-gee) people originally stewarded and forged a home across Georgia, including the land where K体育 University’s campus now stands. In May 1830, just five years before K体育’s founding, the state of Georgia began the act of forcibly removing the Mvskoke and Cherokee peoples. We remain mindful of the historical and present-day injustices affecting the Mvskoke people, while we recognize their enduring cultural practices, traditions, and families. The K体育 community strives to honor the Mvskoke Nation by promoting inclusive excellence, fostering understanding of Indigenous cultures, and serving as mindful stewards of the land.
Brief History of Mvskoke (Creek) Tribe in Georgia
K体育 University is located on the original homeland of the Mvskoke (pronounced mus-kOH-gEE) Indians. K体育 University, named for General James K体育, was chartered in 1835 in Midway, a neighborhood near Milledgeville. The university moved to its current location in Brookhaven, GA, on Peachtree Boulevard in 1915.聽聽
Before General K体育 arrived in Georgia in 1733, the Mvskoke (Creek), resided in the areas around Milledgeville and Brookhaven. The English used the term “Creek” to refer to the tribe living along the waterways. The Mvskoke (Creek) Indians held a significant presence at the Pakanahuili (a Creek word meaning Standing Peach Tree). This important trading center was located at the intersection of Peachtree Creek and the Chattahoochee River. The names Peachtree Boulevard and all Peachtree Streets are derived from this settlement, which was known for its peach tree grove.
Through a series of coerced treaties, the Mvskoke were expelled from their land. New settlers used the lands taken from the Native Americans for the Southern plantation economy, which required African slave labor. The Treaty of Washington (1826) and the Creek Treaty of November 1827 forced the Mvskoke to relinquish their remaining lands to the state of Georgia. Led by then-President Andrew Jackson, the Senate passed the Indian Removal Bill in 1830, forcing the remaining Muscogee to resettle in Oklahoma. According to the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park Service in Georgia, there were 21,792 Creeks living in Georgia and Alabama in 1832. By 1852, only 13,537 Creeks remained in Oklahoma.
Today, the Muscogee Nation is located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. It is the 4th largest tribe in the US, with more than 100,000 Citizens. There are no federally recognized tribes in Georgia.
