Land Grab Universities: The Fight Against Non-memory and for Indigenous Futures—a Conversation with Tristan Ahtone, Andrew Herscher, and Robert Warrior

Speaking Out of Place · May 25, 2026 · 51m

On today’s show we take a deep look into universities, and education more broadly with Tristan Ahtone, Andrew Herscher, and Robert Warrior. We focus on a critique of land grant universities, which were built on land granted by the federal government. What we learn is that lands were stolen from Indigenous peoples through violence-based treaties and seizures. These 57 universities have used wealth derived from those initial acts of theft to buy more property, expand holdings, and enrich themselves. In contrast, we see the continued harm these universities do to Native peoples. This harm comes…