Aerial view of the Cabrillo campus looking west toward the ocean
Land Acknowledgment

"The land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. Today there are no known survivors of the Awaswas Nation. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore traditional stewardship practices on these lands to honor the Awaswas and heal from historical trauma."

A land acknowledgment is a statement that recognizes the history and presence of Indigenous peoples and their enduring relationship to their traditional homelands. Land acknowledgments help create awareness of the cultural erasure of Indigenous peoples and the processes of colonization and subjugation that have contributed to that erasure.

Cabrillo community members are encouraged to read the land acknowledgment at the beginning of gatherings and events. Use of the land acknowledgment should be done respectfully and not become merely routine.

Pronunciations of the tribes are: Amah (Aaa-Ma), Mutsun (Moot-sun), Uypi (You-P), Awaswas (Aaa-Was-Was). Please be sure that the tribes names are pronounced correctly and that the entire acknowledgment is read carefully.