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LAND STORIES

We acknowledge that PLU's campus is located on the traditional lands of the Nisqually, Puyallup, Squaxin Island, and Steilacoom peoples.
Welcome

This acknowledgment informs our values and practices at PLU:

ACCESS & SUPPORT

We are committed to creating access for students from tribal communities.

TEACHING & LEARNING

We are committed to offering courses in Native American and Indigenous Studies, including a course on the Southern Lashootseed language.

RESTORING

We’re also committed to partnering with tribal neighbors to protect and restore camas and parts of the native prairie ecosystem on the lower campus.

HONORING

Above all, we are committed to remembering the history of this land and discovering new ways to partner with and honor its traditional caretakers.

More work to do

Even as we strive to live these values, we recognize there’s always more work to be done. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is ever-evolving, and we will continue to create space for our understanding to grow with it.

ACCESS & SUPPORT

PLU is committed to the success of Indigenous students, staff, and faculty. We have a number of resources — including clubs and programs — designed to build community and give you the tools you need to thrive academically, socially, and personally.

Sergeant First Class (SFC) Eugene Price “Red Feather Endowed Scholarship”

The Red Feather Warrior Society Endowed Scholarship was established in 2014 by a private donation from SFC Eugene C. Price, a 20-year veteran of the United States Army.

Names Are Sacred

Names Are Sacred aims to explore the significance of names, their evolution, and their impact on individuals’ identities.

Student Care Network | SRR

The Student Care Network (SCN) works with the PLU community to proactively connect with students and partners for a successful academic, social, and emotional experience at PLU.

Counseling | Well-being Services and Resources

Our experienced team of licensed psychologists and mental health counselors is well prepared to help you make the most of your educational experience.

Center for Student Success | PLU

The Center for Student Success (CSS) is a campus-wide network of units dedicated to helping students succeed at PLU.

Center for Diversity, Justice, & Sustainability

Diversity, Justice, & Sustainability (DJS) is a framework that engages the interdependency of ourselves, our communities, and our environments. With this framework, we desire to create systems and build relationships where all can thrive.

TEACHING & LEARNING

We work to uplift Indigenous issues and support the revitalization of Indigenous cultures and languages. We do this through our mission, in our living spaces, and in the classroom.

Native American and Indigenous Studies

Students in the NAIS Program don’t just learn about Indigenous peoples, they learn with and from them, entering a collaborative learning space in which Indigenous ways of knowing and the academic system meet.

Indigenous Cultures Abroad

Explore Indigenous cultures during semesters abroad in Namibia, New Zealand, and Oaxaca.

Southern Lushootseed

Pacific Lutheran University offers introductory courses in Southern Lushootseed as part of its Global & Cultural Studies department.

Holocaust and Genocide Studies

The Holocaust and Genocide Studies program is strongly grounded in PLU’s forty-year dedication to Holocaust Studies and the University’s educational commitment to helping its students develop as global citizens, future leaders, and whole, richly informed persons.

Gender, Sexuality, and Race Studies

The Gender, Sexuality, and Race Studies (GSRS) program at PLU provides students with an innovative curriculum that examines how gender, sexuality and race are embedded in complex dynamics of power and resistance.

Environmental Studies

PLU educates to engage actively and critically the complex relationships between people and the environment, drawing upon integrated and interdisciplinary perspectives.

RESTORING

PLU is 10 miles from the Steilacoom community, 13 miles from the Puyallup Reservation, 20 miles from the Nisqually Reservation, 22 miles from the Muckleshoot Reservation, and 40 miles from the Squaxin Island Reservation. Many opportunities exist for Indigenous students within these communities, including internships and culture classes.

Puyallup Tribe hosts c’abid (camas) harvest at PLU

Angie Totus, Cultural Activities Coordinator for the Puyallup Tribe, talks about the history and significance of the harvesting c’abid (camas).

Environmental Studies Capstone Presentations

View the PLU Environmental Studies capstone cohort, who tackled a wide range of current environmental issues.

HONORING

PLU is committed to strengthening relationships with regional Indigenous communities. This involves harvesting heritage camas on the lower campus, hosting elders, artists, and culture bearers as instructors and advisors, and enabling students to work with and learn from tribal leaders in internships and research opportunities.

Early Campus Stories

Discussing the land itself can reveal much about a region’s history and its inhabitants’ relationships with one another and with natural places.

Legacy of Cecelia Svinth Carpenter

Celebrating the life, work, and commitments of PLU alumna Cecelia Svinth Carpenter, connecting PLU’s past, present, and future with the Nisqually, Puyallup, and other Coast Salish people and tribes.

Parkland Mural Information

Parkland’s historic Garfield Street is home to the Parkland Mural, an artful depiction of the community’s past, present, and future.

Lutheran Values & Higher Education

Guided by the ELCA Declaration to American Indian and Alaska Native People, we are committed to uplifting Indigenous communities, supporting Native students, and affirming tribal sovereignty.