The University at Albany sits at the confluence of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers on the traditional lands of the Kanien’keháka and Muh-he-con-neok people, who stewarded this land for generations before the arrival of European colonists. The Kanien’keháka (People of the Flint) and Muh-he-con-neok (People of the Waters that are Never Still) are more commonly known today as the Mohawk Haudenosaunee and Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans. Despite the similarity of their westernized names, the Mohawk and Mohican were culturally and linguistically distinct.
The UAlbany community recognizes that we live and work on the homelands of sovereign Indigenous nations with rich histories and cultures that continue today – both within New York and beyond.
As an institution devoted to teaching, scholarship, and service, we strive to understand and learn from our history and to affirm Indigenous rights and issues. To this end, we are committed to cultivating reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities focused on equity, social justice, and sustainability – and dismantling legacies of colonization.
The Thanksgiving Address, Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen: "Words Before all Else"
The Thanksgiving Address comes from the Haudenosaunee people, also known as the Iroquois and Six Nations. They are the Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora people of Upstate New York and Canada.
The Address dates back more than 1,000 years, and today, these words – or a version of them – are still spoken at the opening and closing of all ceremonial and governmental gatherings held by the Six Nations.
The Address is based on the belief that the world cannot be taken for granted and that a spiritual communication of thankfulness and acknowledgment of all living things must be given to align the minds and the hearts of people with nature.
The above version of the Address was recorded by members of UAlbany’s Indigenous Students Association during the Spring 2024 semester.
Read the Thanksgiving Address in English
We bring our minds together as one and give thanks to the people and mother earth; now our minds are one.
We bring our minds together as one and give thanks to the waters and the fish; now our minds are one.
We bring our minds together as one and give thanks to the plants and the food plants; now our minds are one.
We bring our minds together as one and give thanks to the medicines and the animals; now our minds are one.
We bring our minds together as one and give thanks to the trees and the birds; now our minds are one.
We bring our minds together as one and give thanks to the four winds and the grandfather thunders; now our minds are one.
We bring our minds together as one and give thanks to the sun, and grandmother moon; now our minds are one.
We bring our minds together as one and give thanks to the stars and the four beings; now our minds are one.
We bring our minds together as one and give thanks to the creator; now our minds are one.
Read the Thanksgiving Address in Mohawk
Kionkiohkwa sewatonhosiios onen onketasewah Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen
Akwe:kon enska entitewahwehnon:ni ne onkwa’nikon:ra tanon teiethinonhwera:ton ne onkwehshon:ah tanon Iethi’nisténha Onhóntsa, tho niiohtonha’k ne onkwa’nikon:ra. Tho
Akwe:kon enska entitewahwehnon:ni ne onkwa’nikon:ra tanon teiethinonhwera:ton ne Ohneka’shon:a tanon kentsion’shon:ah, tho niiohtonha’k ne onkwa’nikon:ra. Tho
Akwe:kon enska entitewahwehnon:ni ne onkwa’nikon:ra tanon teiethinonhwera:ton ne tsi Shonkwaientho:wi tanon kaien’thohshera, tho niiohtonha’k ne onkwa’nikon:ra. Tho
Akwe:kon enska entitewahwehnon:ni ne onkwa’nikon:ra tanon teiethinonhwera:ton ne ononhkwa’shon:ah tanon kontirio, tho niiohtonha’k ne onkwa’nikon:ra. Tho
Akwe:kon enska entitewahwehnon:ni ne onkwa’nikon:ra tanon teiethinonhwera:ton ne okwire’shon:ah tanon otsi’ten’okon:ah, tho niiohtonha’k ne onkwa’nikon:ra. Tho
Akwe:kon enska entitewahwehnon:ni ne onkwa’nikon:ra tanon teiethinonhwera:ton ne kaie:ri nikawera:ke tanon ionkhisho’thokon:’ah ratiwe:ras, tho niiohtonha’k ne onkwa’nikon:ra. Tho
Akwe:kon enska entitewahwehnon:ni ne onkwa’nikon:ra tanon teiethinonhwera:ton ne kiehkehnehkha karahkwa tanon ahsenthenhnehkha karahkwa, tho niiohtonha’k ne onkwa’nikon:ra. Tho
Akwe:kon enska entitewahwehnon:ni ne onkwa’nikon:ra tanon teiethinonhwera:ton ne otsistanohkwa’shon:ah tanon kaie:ri niionkwe:take, tho niiohtonha’k ne onkwa’nikon:ra. Tho
Akwe:kon enska entitewahwehnon:ni ne onkwa’nikon:ra tanon tenthshitewanonhwera:ton ne Shonkwaia’tison.
O:nen wakwarihwaientahkwen nowa wehniserateh toka’ taniseke nekoha ne’e i:se ki isohta’s aesenterion sewahson tho niiohtonha’k ne onkwa’nikon:ra