Land Acknowledgment
What is Land Acknowledgment?
A tribal land acknowledgment is a practice where current occupants, whether permanent or temporary, of Indigenous lands take time to recognize the Native people who cared for and served as custodians of the land for generations prior to colonization--and in many cases these are the people who are still caring for the land. The goal is to show respect for these Indigenous identities, as well to help to counter their biased, stereotypical, misguided, and missing representations in our collective consciousness. The practice is quite common in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, and it is becoming an important part of inclusive culture in the United States. Alex Kuschel, LPS K-5 Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator, has created this document with additional information, and the Native Governance Center has a helpful video on this website.
In the USA, we are all on Indigenous land. The Native Land website is a helpful resource to search any location and learn about what Indigenous groups originally--and in some cases still--live there.
The US Department of Arts and Culture provides this explanation: "Acknowledgment is a simple, powerful way of showing respect and a step toward correcting the stories and practices that erase Indigenous people’s history and culture and toward inviting and honoring the truth" (Honor Native Land). They also produced the following video to promote the #HonorNativeLand campaign.
Indigenous Land Now Known as "Lexington"
An important part of any tribal land acknowledgment is researching the history of the land and its people; depending on who is doing the "acknowledging," it is also important that the acknowledgment is original and meaningful to avoid it being a perfunctory reinforcement of stereotypes.
The area of the United States now known as New England was cared for by Indigenous people for generations prior to the arrival of European colonists. The land had long been the traditional territories of many Native American nations, although it is important to note that these territories did not have carefully delineated boundaries as often represented in maps. Many Indigenous people moved in and out of the area and one group's territory often overlapped another's.
Some sources identify the land upon which Lexington now sits as belonging to that of the Massachuset nation, while some other recent sources mark is at part of the Pawtucket Nation.
Within the Massachuset nation, there were multiple bands, one of which was the Ponkapoag, a tribe that still exists today.
Regarding the Pawtucket people, some sources list them as part of the lower Pennacook (which were, in turn, part of the Abenaki Confederacy) which were closer to the Merrimack River.
Additional Resources
In the Lexington Public Schools, we strive to promote lifelong learning in our students, staff, and community. These additional resources can help you continue your journey into understanding the Indigenous people on whose lands our country, state, and municipality are located. Whether you are just beginning that journey of exploration or digging deeper into the topic, continue to live our LPS core value of being curious!