Land

Acknowledgment

New York Gridlock Ultimate recognizes the land on which we gather as Lenapehoking, the original and rightful territory of the Lenape people.We honor the Lenape people as the original arbiters and protectors of Lenapehoking and acknowledge the vast injustices they have faced in the past, and continue to face in the present. May this acknowledgement serve as a first, small step towards our commitment to finding opportunities for our community to help repair these injustices for the future.We embolden ourselves and our guests to dedicate our unwavering consciousness to examine the ways in which we have benefited from the ongoing tradition of colonization, racism, displacement, and land exploitation. Our mutual, concentrated effort is required on our road to repair and reconciliation with the Indigenous communities of this land. To learn more about Lenape history and culture, and to receive guidance on paths towards healing and justice, we encourage you to connect with the Lenape Center at www.thelenapecenter.com/.

“The land upon which we gather is part of the traditional territory of the Lenni-Lenape, called “Lenapehoking.” The Lenape People lived in harmony with one another upon this territory for thousands of years. During the colonial era and early federal period, many were removed west and north, but some also remain among the continuing historical tribal communities of the region: The Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation; the Ramapough Lenape Nation; and the Powhatan Renape Nation, The Nanticoke of Millsboro Delaware, and the Lenape of Cheswold Delaware. We acknowledge the Lenni-Lenape as the original people of this land and their continuing relationship with their territory. In our acknowledgment of the continued presence of Lenape people in their homeland, we affirm the aspiration of the great Lenape Chief Tamanend, that there be harmony between the indigenous people of this land and the descendants of the immigrants to this land, “as long as the rivers and creeks flow, and the sun, moon, and stars shine.”