NDGNS UW Vision and Values

The NDGNS UW program is open to all undergraduate students at UW-Madison. We engage scholars from their first year through graduation, offering spaces to develop community, access academic support and guidance, and a framework to participate in many high-impact programs across campus. Our scholars can graduate with a breadth of valuable academic and professional experiences, preparing them for careers in all fields, with a particular emphasis on developing skills and knowledge to work in high-demand professions within Tribal governments. 

OUR SHARED FUTURE

The following call to build a shared future with the Ho-Chunk Nation and the 11 other Tribal Nations of Wisconsin is a central guiding framework for all of campus. NDGNS UW asks that all who engage with our programming will commit to 1) actively and continuously reflect on this call, 2) identifying tangible steps for action that you can take to advance this commitment, and 3) incorporating those actions into your day-to-day contributions to campus and beyond, in embodiment of the Wisconsin Idea:

The University of Wisconsin–Madison occupies ancestral Ho-Chunk land, a place their nation has called Teejop (day-JOPE) since time immemorial. In an 1832 treaty, the Ho-Chunk were forced to cede this territory. Decades of ethnic cleansing followed when both the federal and state government repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, sought to forcibly remove the Ho-Chunk from Wisconsin. This history of colonization informs our shared future of collaboration and innovation. Today, UW–Madison respects the inherent sovereignty of the Ho-Chunk Nation, along with the eleven other First Nations of Wisconsin. oursharedfuture.wisc.edu

Our Shared Future represents UW–Madison’s commitment to respect the inherent sovereignty of the Ho-Chunk Nation and the other First Nations of Wisconsin.

It is a first step that calls on each of us – faculty, staff, and students – to deeply consider our shared past and present with Indigenous peoples in this place, Teejop, and to make our own personal and institutional commitments to achieve a shared future with them.

Our Shared Future is a process, not a land acknowledgement or something to recite. It is a collective act of moving together – from ignorance to awareness; an educational framework for posing questions; and an opportunity to celebrate Ho-Chunk people, as well as learn about the hard truths of our histories with them.

It is a challenge to educate ourselves and each other, and create a better future together.

The title of the piece pictured at the top of this page is “Seed by Seed’ – which reminds us of the work we are doing to acknowledge that this university sits on the ancestral homeland of the Ho-Chunk people, who were forcibly removed from this place. And it reminds us of our ongoing responsibilities to move our campus community from ignorance to awareness, and that this work can’t be confined to a day, a month or even a year. It’s a work of a lifetime.”  news.wisc.edu/seed-by-seed 

Additional educational resources: wisconsinfirstnations.org

NDGNS UW PROGRAM VALUES

NDGNS UW Network for Development & Growth of Native Solidarity at UW-Madison

NATIVE Fellowship Nurturing Academics Through Indigenous Values in Education

The NDGNS UW Program promotes the incorporation of Indigenous values into students’ campus engagement experiences. Indigenous cultures are diverse and unique from one another in many ways. A shared thread that connects us is collectively engaging in acts of moving forward together, to create a better future together.

The Seven Grandfather Teachings are guiding principles from Anishinaabe culture to promote living a good life. Many organizations and communities have adopted the Seven Grandfather Teachings as a moral stepping stone and cultural foundation, adapting the teachings to suit their community goals and needs. Please note that any links provided in this section are only examples of ways these teachings may be applied. We acknowledge that these examples may differ from individual scholar’s cultural backgrounds and teachings.

The NDGNS UW program interprets these values through our approach to supporting students and creating pathways for them to thrive and excel.

We offer these values a starting point for NDGNS UW scholars, staff, partners, and RELATIVES to incorporate their own personal or cultural values to guide their experience at UW-Madison, and to enrich our program and campus community:

• Truth We will avoid judgement by seeking common truths in the interactions, goals, and in the intentions of ourselves and others.

• Humility We will continually seek opportunities to reflect on their own strengths and areas for personal growth, recognizing that each person comes to this community with different abilities, skills, knowledge and contributions.

• Respect NDGNS UW is a safe space that honors all aspects of community members’ identities, backgrounds, and cultural practices. When differences of opinions or expectations arise, we will engage in respectful dialogue to remedy conflict.

• Love We will take care of ourselves and others, by recognizing that we are whole people outside of academic life, and by checking in with each other, and reminding each other to engage in self-care, whatever that looks like for you.

• Honesty We will act with honesty and integrity in all interactions. We commit to represent ourselves, our work, our skills, our areas for growth and improvement, and our needs openly and honestly.

• Bravery We show commitment to new experiences, even when it requires us to step outside of our comfort zone and into our growth zone. We demonstrate bravery in committing to our values, even when it requires some discomfort or challenges us.
• Wisdom We recognize the wisdom within ourselves, and within peers, and mentors. NDGNS UW scholars can use their time in the program to develop trust in their own experience and decision-making abilities, and knowing when to lean on others for guidance. 

          Inspired by the American Indian Health Service of Chicago.

Our logo incorporates the medicine wheel, which can help show how our values and other cultural teachings are interconnected, and can guide us towards a balanced and meaningful life. The flower represents individual and collective growth through value systems deeply rooted in community.