Land Acknowledgement
We honor and acknowledge the First People to occupy this land that today we call Akron. The names they used to identify themselves are largely unknown to us. However, the Native
American nations who were stewards of this land before the arrival of the first Europeans included the Seneca and Cayuga from the Iroquoian (ee·ruh·kwoy·uhn) confederacy, the Huron, the Shawnee, the Ojibwe (ow·jeeb·wei) or Chippewa, and the Lenni Lenape, (leh·nee leh·nuh·pee) who were also called “Delaware.” We recognize that we owe a debt to these Indian nations who were forcibly removed from the land they sustained for hundreds of years.*
This Land Acknowledgement was written by Dave Lieberth when he was Chairman of the board of the Summit County Historical Society. He is one of the organizing members of the Portage Path Collaborative. Mr. Lieberth shared the Land Acknowledgement with local nonprofit organizations such as ArtsNow who read it before meetings and events to give recognition and thanks to the First People.
Learn more about the Portage Path Collaborative, North American First People's Day and its partners by visiting https://walkportagepath.com/, a website of the Lippman School.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The Portage Path Collaborative is an assembly of educators, organizations and individuals committed to preserving and sharing the history of the First People of Akron and Summit County.
The portage between the Cuyahoga River and Tuscarawas River - the Portage Path - is the singular feature in the City of Akron representing all native peoples: from pre-contact to the settlements of Native American tribal groups that were identified after European contact.
The Collaborative seeks to:
Sponsor events surrounding North American First People Day;
Engage a diverse audience;
Create dialogue with native people. Challenge misconceptions, and give voice to native peoples who live in the area;
Educate through discussions, exhibits, apps, and experiences;
Produce a model for other communities in Ohio and elsewhere to follow;
Support the nomination of the Portage Path as a traditional cultural property to the National Register of Historic Places.
*Note: This acknowledgement represents the best research we have to date.
Information obtained from:
• U.S. Forest Service. (n.d.). Federal and Indian lands and land cessions viewer.
Additional resources:
• Native Governance Center (n.d.). A guide to Indigenous land acknowledgement.
• Northwestern University Native American and Indigenous Initiatives. (n.d.). Land acknowledgement.
• York University. (2019, January 2). Understanding land acknowledgement. YouTube.