Native American & Indigenous Peoples Initiative
The Land that Became the TCU Campus Was Native Americans’ Home For Millennia. That’s Important to Know.
Because our campus sits on ancestral homelands of Wichita and Affiliated Tribes who lived here for generations, the ground we walk on daily at TCU serves as a teaching tool for empathy, reverence and understanding.
We’re developing programs to help Horned Frogs learn and respect the sovereignty and contemporary presence of Native American nations and the historical trauma of Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples.
This is how we work together to find a healing path forward.
Our Native American and Indigenous Peoples Monument
Before TCU came into existence on the Texas prairie, this land had been an ancestral homeland for generations. In October 2018, following years of collaboration, TCU dedicated a monument acknowledging all Native American peoples who have lived in this region, especially the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes.
Physical forms can be a powerful teaching tool, and the monument’s placement on campus has meaning on many levels. It offers learning opportunities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including understanding the monument itself, the process behind its design, and the broader historical context it represents.
Native American and Indigenous Peoples Day Symposium
TCU’s seventh annual Native American and Indigenous Peoples Day symposium will be held on Monday, October 2, 2023.
As part of TCU's 150th anniversary observances, this year's symposium theme is "TCU and Native American and Indigenous Relationships: Exploring the Past, Embracing the Present, Impacting the Future."
About the symposium logo:
Designer Deante’ Moore, an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community and graduate student at the University of North Texas, explains:
"For this piece, I wanted to design representation for each of the elements that are being highlighted this year. The left includes an Indigenous woman who is wearing red with a red handprint that represents Missing and Murdered Indigenous relatives which is a testimony to exploring the past. We are fighting against this epidemic to create a better future for generations to come. The right includes an Indigenous man in an orange ribbon shirt. Orange is the color that represents the survivors of Indian boarding schools that existed to assimilate Native communities into the American way of living. This 100-year policy affected generations and is relevant to the education system and TCU as we still live in a world where our knowledge, history, and experience are not shared. The middle shows a Native graduate wearing TCU regalia to indicate the impacting future aspect. As Native Americans have a low percentage of college graduation, it is important to increase the representation of Native students and to also contribute to graduates that will give back to their communities. Eagle feathers are also shown through the poster on the top. Eagle feathers are sacred to many tribes as they serve as a blessing from our ancestors and creator. We use them in our prayer, smudges, ceremony and as honor, and more."
“Don’t be afraid of history’s facts. Great nations, great people, take responsibility.”
— Scott Langston, liaison for Native American Nations and Communities
Leadership & Advisory Circle
In 2020, Provost Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg appointed Scott Langston, religion instructor and leader of Native American programs at TCU, to a newly created three-year position as liaison for Native American Nations and Communities.
Dr. Langston has established an advisory circle comprising Native Americans from within and outside of the university. This group will help guide TCU on positive ways to make Native Americans feel seen, respected, supported and part of the campus community by:
- Developing partnerships between TCU and Native American nations and communities
- Educating our campus regarding Native American history and perspectives
- Reaching out to Native American communities about TCU
- Helping guide curriculum with courses and programs reflecting Native American perspectives
- Imagining new spaces to support Native American students, faculty, staff and alumni
Four Directions Scholars Program
Beginning in the 2024-25 academic year, TCU will award a four-year scholarship annually, consisting of fully funded tuition and room and board, to two first-year undergraduate citizens of a federally recognized tribe (pending recipients' meeting the university's eligibility requirements for receiving financial aid).
Recipients will be supported while at TCU through required participation in a mentorship program. Applications will be accepted beginning October 2, 2023 for students entering TCU in fall 2024.
For more information, please contact TCU Admissions.
Native American Nations Flags Project
During the 2022-23 academic year, TCU's Native and Indigenous Student Association created the Native American Nations Flags Project to honor all Native Americans who have attended or worked at TCU and the diverse and distinct nations they represent.
It is located in the Mary Couts Burnett Library, in front of the central stairs on the second floor, where nine Native American Nations flags are permanently displayed.