Article Summary –
An undeveloped lot in Missoula, which is part of the aboriginal territory of the Salish, Kootenai and Pend d’Oreille peoples, is managed by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) with the purpose of generating revenue for Montana State University. This land is part of millions of acres known as “state trust lands”, 90% of which are used to support public K-12 schools, with the remaining 10% generating revenue for the state’s higher education system. Concerns have been raised about the historical confiscation of Indigenous land for the benefit of universities, and efforts are being made to address financial disparities in the land-grant system for tribal and historically black colleges.
Montana Trust Lands: From Indigenous Territory to University Revenue
A nationwide investigation called “Land Grab University”, is shedding light on the complex historical background of state-owned lands, including those in Missoula, Montana. A vacant lot on South Seventh Street, with a sign advertising its lease by Montana’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, is more than just an undeveloped property.
This tract of land, like all of Missoula, is part of the aboriginal territory of the Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d’Oreille people. Today, it is managed by the DNRC to generate revenue for Montana State University. But how did this small slice of Indigenous land end up serving the financial interests of a prominent university?
The answer is bound up in the history of the so-called “state trust lands”. While most of these lands are dedicated to supporting Montana’s public K-12 schools, a smaller proportion supports higher education institutions. This arrangement is the result of a series of historical treaty agreements and acts of Congress which allowed the federal government to procure or seize lands from Indigenous tribes, generating billions of dollars annually for universities across the country.
University of British Columbia assistant professor Sharon Stein, a climate researcher, told Grist, “Universities continue to benefit from colonization. It’s not just a historical fact; the actual income of the institution is subsidized by this ongoing dispossession.”
In Montana, more than 260,000 surface and subsurface mineral acres are held in trust for MSU, generating over $17 million over the past decade. Despite bringing in around $2 million annually, MSU officials respect this revenue source due to its long tradition.
MSU uses these funds to cover costs such as building bonds and non-recurring maintenance and equipment costs as set by the Montana Board of Regents. The funding can be traced back to the passage of the federal Morrill Act in 1862, which led to the creation of agriculture-focused “land-grant” colleges throughout the US, a network MSU joined at its founding in 1893.
However, there is a darker side to this history. The lands supporting these educational enterprises were expropriated from Indigenous tribes throughout the West. This act of dispossession is often subtly acknowledged but seldom given due attention. This has led to criticism of such “land acknowledgments” as mere “feel-good public gestures”.
While some tribal colleges have now received land-grant status, this has not ensured financial equality. Furthermore, the economic disparity faced by Indigenous students today is a legacy of the theft of their ancestral lands. These lands continue to generate wealth, with one such parcel in Missoula appraised at $1.4 million in 2021.
“You generate wealth based on the land,” says Sandra Boham, President of Salish Kootenai College. “If you don’t have the land, you’re not going to generate that wealth. And we didn’t have the land.”
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