Land Acknowledgement
The Garden: River’s Edge at Arch Street Meeting House 2024
Written by Opalanietet
Kwamgomel Muhemo (Greetings)! The land we are currently standing or sitting on is part of the larger nation, Lenapehoking, home of the Lenape. We are one of the Nations of First Contact with Europeans, and one of the oldest continuous democracies on Earth.
This land belongs to the Creator, yet it was given to the Lenape to be stewards of. It was and continues to be our land to look after as the many nations of Lenapehoking are still here. And while the Lenape have always welcomed people from all over the world to their shores, that invitation comes with the responsibility to treat everyone and everything on this land with respect.
One may ask themselves, “Why should we bother with acknowledging whose land this is? I’m busy. Time is money.” Well, time can be measured in many different ways. Like for instance, time can be the thousands of years the Lenape have been here on this land, despite the physical, cultural, and environmental genocide that has taken place. And how did we survive all this time?
One word: Sustainability.
This one word encapsulates the many factors that lead to a nation’s survival. They include adaptation to the new cultures that come to one’s shores, direct democracy, gender and racial equality, the neutralization of social class, preservation of one’s environment, and remaining true to one’s principles.
These are the foundations of Lenape society, and thus are a part of the land we are on and the country we call the United States of America. The United States has only been here for approximately 250 years, and as stewards of this country, we all should ask ourselves,
are we on a sustainable path
that is compatible with the land and culture
that we are the inheritors of?
W’anishi (thank you).
Opalanietet (Ryan Victor Pierce) is a member of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape tribal nation of New Jersey. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Eagle Project, http://www.eagleprojectarts.org; and has performed with New York City Opera, the Public Theater, Lincoln Center, and all over the country. His solo show, This Play Is Native Made, was workshopped and performed with Ashtar Theater in Ramallah, Palestine. Opalanietet also made history in 2020 by performing the first-ever land acknowledgement at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC.
Please join us in nourishing a sustainable path by getting to know the following indigenous-led organizations and consider offering a donation that feels both generous and accessible to you:
Eagle Project is the only Lenape-led performing arts company on the traditional lands of Lenapehoking. Our mission is to explore the American identity through the performing arts and through the lens of our Native American heritage, so that we as Americans may have a more accurate recollection of our past, a better understanding of our present, for a just and more inclusive vision for our future. Eagle Project is a Native American artistic laboratory utilizing theatre, music, dance, spoken word, stand-up comedy, and film to investigate and understand US American identity. Home // Donations // Contact
Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation Our Lenape ancestors were those who inhabited New Jersey, Delaware, southern New York and eastern Pennsylvania at the time the Europeans came. We called ourselves “Lenni-Lenape,” which literally means “Men of Men”, but is translated to mean “Original People.” The history of our tribe in its homeland goes back over 10,000 years. We are the descendants of those Nanticoke and Lenape who remained, or returned, to our ancient homeland after many of our relatives suffered removals and forced migrations to the mid-western United States or into Canada. Home // Donations // Contact
The Garden: River’s Edge production info and credits available HERE