Land Acknowledgement
Oglethorpe University Land Acknowledgement
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 Oglethorpe University’s campus now stands. In May 1830, just five years before Oglethorpe’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 Oglethorpe 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
Oglethorpe University is located on the original homeland of the Mvskoke (pronounced mus-kOH-gEE) Indians. Oglethorpe University, named for General James Oglethorpe, 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.
Before General Oglethorpe 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.
“Ocmulgee Mounds: Muscogee (Creek) Removal.” n.d. National Park Service U.S. Department of Interior.
Schwartzman, Grace M, and Barnard, Susan K. 1991. “A Trail of Broken Promises: Georgians and Muscogee/Creek Treaties, 1796-1826.” The Georgia Historical Quarterly 75 (4): 697–718.
“Standing Peachtree | Atlanta in 50 Objects | Exhibitions.” n.d. Atlanta History Center. Accessed September 2, 2024.
“The Muscogee Nation.” n.d. The Muscogee Nation. Accessed September 2, 2024.
