We acknowledge that the territory on which Boston University stands is that of The Wampanoag and The Massachusetts People.
Our classroom and BU’s campus are places to honor and respect the history and continued efforts of the Native and Indigenous community leaders which make up Eastern Massachusetts and the surrounding region.
This statement is one small step in acknowledging the history that brought us to reside on the land, and to help us seek understanding of our place within that history. Ownership of land is itself a colonial concept; many tribes had seasonal relationships with the land we currently inhabit.
Today, Boston is still home to indigenous peoples, including the Mashpee Wampanoag and Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).
For more information, please visit the North American Indian Center of Boston and the Commission on Indian Affairs of the State of Massachusetts. Also see this video land acknowledgment by Annawon Weeden (2021 MATSOL Virtual Conference) and additional resources.