Land Acknowledgement Statement
We recognize that PACSCL member institutions are located within Lenapehoking, the traditional, ancestral land of the Lenape people, who have been caretakers of this area since time immemorial. We urge all attendees to learn about the people whose land you are on. The Native Land Digital Site can help you learn whose territory you are located on.
Beginning in the 18th century, the Lenape were forced off their land through violence and deception. By the 1860s, the United States government sent most Lenape people to present-day Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada under the Indian Removal Act and other forced relocations. Despite this, Lenape people live and work in Lenapehoking today.
In offering this land acknowledgement, we hope to encourage engagement with the legacies of settler colonialism in our institutions and our collections. It is equally important to honor the present, historical, and future relationship of the Lenape to this land. We have a responsibility to be mindful of the impact our institutions have on the land we occupy, and to educate ourselves on the histories of the places where we live and work.
For those wishing to take action, consider making a donation to the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries & Museums Scholarship and Programming Fund; The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition; or Lenape communities.
PACSCL recommends these key resources for libraries and archives:
- Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries & Museums
- Protocols for Native American Archival Materials (PNAAM) publication
- “Protocols for Native American Archival Materials”: Information and Resources Page
- Land Acknowledgement & Beyond: Special Collections and Indigenous Communities Part 1 and Part 2
PACSCL welcomes additional suggestions of links and feedback about the content and wording of our statement above. Please address comments to communications@pacscl.org