LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT


The land on which we live and work, now referred to as Connecticut, is the unceded territory of the Sequin including Quinnipiac and Tunxis, Matabesec, Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Nipmuc, and Lenape Peoples, who have and continue, to steward these lands throughout the generations.

We acknowledge that the place commonly referred to as “New England” is located on the occupied and/or unceded traditional lands and waters of Indigenous Peoples, and that we have a responsibility to help make that truth visible and to support efforts toward indigenous sovereignty and well-being. This acknowledgement is a first step in recognizing the harm done and moving toward solidarity with Native People. 

The Munsee Lenape Nation, were the first people to steward the land and waterways along the Long Island Sound, now called Fairfield and Westchester County. Their territory extended from a narrow tidal straight in the East River, north to Norwalk, and as far inland as White Plains. The Lenape spoke Munsee, and were one of the western bands of the Wappinger Confederacy.
 

Sited Connecticut’s Indigenous People’s
by Lucianne Lavin Stone mortar from Somers,
CT and pestle from Wethersfield, CT

TFN credits the language for this land acknowledgment to CT Farm to School Collaborative and Food Solutions New England.

The Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center the world’s largest Native American Museum brings to life the story of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Through Multi-sensory dioramas and exhibits we introduce visitors to the history of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe and the natural and cultural history of the eastern woodlands. Films and videos, interactive programs, archival materials, ethnographic and archaeological collections, commissioned art, and traditional crafts by Native artisans are featured in the exhibits.






The Mushantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center have been collaborating thanks to a U.S.D.A. Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program to enhance agricultural production, food security, and health of tribal community members. The most important goal of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (MPTN) is to "establish a social, cultural and economic foundation that can never be undermined or destroyed" as articulated in the MPTN Mission Statement. Extension provides education for MPTN in state-of-the-art sustainable vegetable and fruit production techniques, and through collaboration with MPTN, is melded with traditional and historical tribal farming methods. This provides MPTN with a means to continue the richness of their history while moving into modern sustainable farming economically.