Editor’s Note: This is a guest commentary. The opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board.

There are no classes offered at Ithaca College within Native American and Indigenous studies other than the introduction course. Only one-fifth of the necessary credits for the Indigenous studies minor is explicitly an Indigenous studies course. For most people, hearing there is only one class dedicated to a minor that shares the same name would be shocking.

Unfortunately, many believe that Indigenous people are not people of the present. This continues to be perpetuated by a colonialist argument, which includes the idea that Indigenous people are one homogenous culture. These ideas mean that Indigenous studies and people are often relegated to the background.

Students at the college could take the 11 Indigenous studies classes that Cornell University offers. The problem with that is registering for classes at Cornell can be a hassle. If accepted, transportation logistics and scheduling can create further issues.

The argument against  is that people should feel lucky that there is an Intro to Indigenous Studies class in the first place. This idea that Native peoples should be thankful over any ounce of recognition encourages people to continue ignoring the reality of Indigenous rights issues in our country.

The introductory class is taught by competent and dedicated professors, who do their best with the resources and opportunities given to them and attempt to give a well-rounded education about the people whose land we live on. The class focuses on the Haudenosaunee Confederacy as a separate nation, which helps deconstruct the idea that Native American people are part of a homogenous culture.

This ideology has colonialist roots. The idea system was created in order to destroy culture, language and the relationships Native peoples had with each other and to the land. This was done so colonizers could justify stealing Native land and livelihoods without worrying if there would be a strong opposition.

Ithaca College itself has brought awareness to the student body by holding events like the “Gayogohó:nǫˀ, Who We Are” talk in Spring 2024, inviting three key speakers to explore their identity in relationship to the land. In Fall 2023, Delta Kappa Alpha showed Smoke Signals, an iconic film in Indigenous cinema. This is not enough.

Native peoples deserve better. Having one talk, one screening and then stating a land acknowledgement as a way to pretend that responsibility was taken is not enough. We must call out the inadequacies of programs and activism that both ignore and downplay Native and Indigenous issues. We are on this land, and we choose to stay on it every day, only draining the life from it quicker and quicker.

It is easy to look at these programs that many colleges and universities have to offer and say they are doing a good job. Institutions like the University of Minnesota have created multiple different programs, such as a major in both the Dakhóta and Ojibwe languages, while also having both a major and minor in Native American and Indigenous studies. This serves as a good reference for how to decolonize our education system.

A good start for students would be to change our language. We should refer to Indigenous groups by their preferred names, rather than titles that were forced upon them. For example, calling the Lakȟóta, Dakhóta and Nakoda by those names rather than saying “The Sioux,” using Diné, instead of “Navajo” and using Haudnesaunee instead of “Iroquois.”

We could also create pressure for adding more classes. It has been proven in the past that people are curious about Indigenous cultures and issues. However, those classes are typically overshadowed and overlooked.

We should make the effort to honor the Haudenosaunee and specifically the Gayogohó:nǫˀ people, as we live and educate ourselves on their land. While it is not anyone’s place to force someone to learn about anyone else’s culture or history, we should all strive to listen and use the power we have to change the violence, hatred and cruelty Indigenous people have seen and still see to this day.