Land Acknowledgment: Where We Started, Where We Are,

and Where We Are Going

An update from the Land Acknowledgement Task Force

For the past twenty-five years (and most-likely before), Unitarian Universalists have been publicly acknowledging our settler colonialist past, with spoken “land acknowledgements” offered at services and gatherings.  In 2015, a workshop at General Assembly encouraged member congregations to move beyond the land acknowledgement to active relationship-building and support of locally-impacted native tribes.

Here at UUCD, we, too, began including a spoken acknowledgement that our Fellowship Hall was built on the unceded land of the Paugussett People in about 2020. As time went on, some folks began thinking about what our next steps should be; how we would move “beyond the land acknowledgement”. The Sunday Services Team took the lead in answering those questions by inviting Shoran Waupatukuay Piper, Clan Mother of the Golden Hill Paugussett People, to speak at a service in February of 2024.  The Clan Mother’s talk was very well-received and gave us some ideas.  Our “Land Acknowledgement Task Force” was formed – initially comprised of Nancy Hershatter, Todd Zagorec, Suze Shaner-Brodax, and Darlene Anderson-Alexander and later joined by Uwe Koepke. In the Spring of 2024, we offered a discussion-based Sunday Service where we considered how to take an action-planning approach to showing solidarity with the local Paugussett people going forward. During the Service, we listened to native voices via readings, music, and interviews and then did some of our own work as justice-seeking Unitarian Universalists. Input from the congregation during this service really gave our Task Force its marching orders. 

In the past two years, MUCH work has gone on behind the scenes to learn more about the many tribes who inhabited this area.  You may have noticed that our acknowledgement during Sunday “Welcomes” now includes the Schaghticoke, Pequonnock, and Wappenger people in addition to the Paugussetts.  Darlene Kascak, Director at the Institute for American Indian Studies and a guest speaker last month, has been instrumental in helping us with our education. There have been “field trips” to area congregations and museums and countless email communications with local resources. It has been important to the Task Force to be sure that our decisions are well-informed and our messaging accurate.  We are finally coming to the point where the fruits of our labor will be visible and shareable at UUCD! Here’s what is coming up:

• A simple outdoor plaque recognizing “the many indigenous nations [will be specifically named when we are sure we have an accurate list] that have historically lived in the Housatonic River watershed, their enduring presence, their care for this land, and their continuing sovereignty. May our presence here honor those who came before, and those who will follow in care of this sacred land.”
• A prominent display in the Fellowship Hall with a more detailed acknowledgement and a QR code link to additional information about each of the tribes and the history of the land.
• A work of art (painting, mosaic, etc.) created by a native artist with the theme of “Roots and Horizons” to be displayed in the Fellowship Hall.  A Call for Artwork has been sent to over 25 organizations and there is a link to the Call on our website and social media pages. We expect proposals for artwork will be submitted this month and the artist who is chosen will be notified in August.  We appreciate our UUCD Board’s support in offering a $5000 commission to the chosen artist.  The commission would be a capital expense, paid for by a combination of funds from the Ann Thorpe Trust and private donations, so it would not impact UUCD’s operating budget.
• We plan to unveil these displays and artwork sometime early in the Fall of 2026 at an event at UUCD. 

Moving forward, we know there is much more work to be done to actively support local tribes. We hope to publicize local events on our social media platforms and really have UU folks show up. There will no-doubt be opportunities to financially support tribal activities as well. We will continue to pursue other ways to acknowledge and honor the first inhabitants of the land we worship on. This is aligned with our congregation’s core values of creating a diverse and inclusive community. We acknowledge that it is the responsibility of our congregation to recognize the people, cultures and history that connect us to its original inhabitants. Please reach out to any member of the Task Force with your thoughts and ideas or – better yet – join us!