Land Acknowledgment Statement

The Smathers Libraries acknowledge that for thousands of years the area now comprising the state of Florida has been, and continues to be, home to many Native Nations. We further recognize that the main campus of the University of Florida is located on the ancestral territory of the Potano and of the Seminole peoples. The Potano, of Timucua affiliation, lived here in the Alachua region from before European arrival until the destruction of their towns in the early 1700s. The Seminole, also known as the Alachua Seminole, established towns here shortly after but were forced from the land as a result of a series of wars with the United States known as the Seminole Wars. The Smathers Libraries acknowledge its obligation to honor the past, present, and future Native residents and cultures of Florida.