Land Acknowledgement
“When we talk about land, land is part of who we are. It’s a mixture of our blood, our past, our current, and our future. We carry our ancestors in us, and they’re around us. As you all do.” —Mary Lyons (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe)
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion acknowledges that the land our Berklee Boston campus resides on is the ancestral homeland of the Pawtucket, Massachusett, Nipmuc, and Wampanoag tribal nations. We honor these communities and the elders of these nations—past, present, and future—whose practices and spiritualities are tied to the land.
We recognize the enduring relationships between Indigenous communities and the traditional territories that our Berklee campuses and global sites occupy.
As a cultural institution, we believe there is an obligation to accurately and responsibly acknowledge the unceded land our institution is built upon. We recognize that American Indian, Native American, Indigenous, First Peoples, First Nations, and aboriginal communities are present and alive today, and are not mere relics of history.
We are committed to using its institutional positionality to amplify the histories and livelihoods of Indigenous peoples, and to working toward dismantling the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism.
What are land acknowledgements?
Indigenous land acknowledgment is an effort to recognize the Indigenous past, present, and future of a particular location and to understand our own place within that relationship. Usually, land acknowledgments take the form of written and/or verbal statements. It’s becoming more and more common to see land acknowledgments delivered at conferences, community gatherings, places of worship, concerts and festivals, etc.
Whose land do you currently live on and occupy?
Visit Native Land's interactive Native Land map. Please note that this map does not represent or intend to represent official or legal boundaries of any Indigenous nations, and is an ongoing project.
Please consider the following when doing your own research:
- What are the names of past and present Indigenous people connected to the land you reside on and occupy?
- What are the correct pronunciations for tribal names and places in your area?
- What is the history of the land?
- How do you make meaning of your place within this history?
- How can you honor Indigenous communities in your actions moving forward?
How to go beyond land acknowledgements
It is important to note that land acknowledgements are the beginning of how to honor the past, present, and future of Indigenous communities. Here are others ways to go beyond land acknowledgements:
- Donate money to Indigenous causes
- Read books written by Indigenous authors
- Support Indigenous businesses[/expandable]
To learn more, please the following websites: