We wish to acknowledge that this area now called Ashfield, Massachusetts is the traditional homeland of the Nipmuc Tribal Nation. Nipmuc, which means the People of the Fresh Water.
The Nipmuc are of the Algonquin language group and number nearly 3,000 family clan members throughout southern New England today.
The Nipmuc have been stewards of this territory for over 12,000 years, where traditional Nipmuc practices assured connection and harmony with the Earth and all life. The Nipmuc territory of Ashfield also borders the neighboring and closely allied Pocumtuck, and the adjacent present-day Indigenous Nations surround the region: the Massachusett and Wampanoag to the East; the Mohegan, Narragansett, Schaghticoke, and Pequot to the South; the Mohican and Mohawk to the West; and the Abenaki and Pennacooks to the North.
We further acknowledge that the territory of the Nipmuc was forcefully taken from the tribe starting in the early 1600s and continued into the late 1800s. The Nipmuc homeland once stretched over 2000 square miles and encompassed central Massachusetts, Northern Connecticut, Northern Rhode Island, and southern New Hampshire. Today the Nipmuc Tribal land is less than 30 acres.
We further recognize that the present residents on Nipmuc traditional land are the beneficiaries of the forced removal and genocide of a people who lived on this land for thousands of years, long before Columbus got lost at sea.
Therefore, with this acknowledgment; We would like to show recognition, respect, and honor Nipmuc Tribal sovereignty, Nipmuc People, and other Tribal Nations who continue to live on this land, practice traditions, and share their culture despite all that was stolen.
To this end, we invite all those who live on Nipmuc land to learn and share the local Indigenous history of the land, but more so to work directly on action steps to heal the trauma and wounds of history, and be part of the movement of reconciliation, healing and a bridge to bring all human beings together. We encourage the understanding of land back, land share, facilities sharing, and other means of reconciliation and reparation.
With the present-day challenges and opportunities of climate disruption and cultural fragmentation, we are encouraged to work with the Nipmuc and other tribal peoples to educate the citizenry on the philosophy, content, methods of sustainable and regenerative lifestyles, practices, and protocols central to the teachings of all Indigenous Peoples. We believe this is necessary at this time on Planet Earth.
This text was adapted from an acknowledgment written by Larry Spotted Crow Mann, Larry Buell, and Fred Freeman. Larry Spotted Crow Mann is a founder and co-director of the Ohketeau Cultural Center. Rhonda Anderson, co-founder and co-director of the Ohketeau Cultural Center, offers the following action items:
First: Recognize and make changes to the dominant narrative that glorifies colonization and genocide of Indigenous peoples of this area. Problematic terms like “Pioneer Valley” is a reminder of the legacy of dispossession, removal, and subsequent erasure. Speaking out against racist images and terms not only assists in dismantling ongoing erasive practices but also lifts the weight of Indigenous labor
Second: The Nipmuc Cultural Preservation is actively seeking assistance with the funding and restoration of repatriated land in Petersham, and their only tribal building on 4 1/2 acres of reservation land in Grafton. The Ohketeau Cultural Center also seeks funds to support the Native programs throughout and beyond Massachusetts, and can be reached at info@ohketeau.org
Lastly: There are 5 bills that 6 Tribes in Massachusetts support in the State House right now. The bills range from the removal of public school Native mascots, creating accurate curriculum regarding Tribal Nations in Massachusetts, creating a commission to ensure the education of Native students in the state, a bill protecting Native cultural heritage from being sold publicly in auction houses, and to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. Please contact your local legislator through MAIndigenousAgenda.Org and encourage them to support these bills.
The following text is an excerpt from a land acknowledgement written by Ebony Noelle Golden (artist, scholar, cultural strategist) who is the founder of Betty’s Daughter Arts Collaborative and Jupiter Performance Studio, which you can learn more about here.
It is essential to lift up the legacy of and the countless peoples of African descent whose blood, bones, bodies, brilliance, and unpaid labor also built and sustained these lands. Truth, reconciliation, and healing will only come with acknowledgement as a first step, followed by cultural and economic reparations and other restorative actions.
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