Land Acknowledgement

The House of the Seven Gables is committed to using our national public platform to work as colleagues and collaborators with Indigenous communities, the goal of which is to amplify the voices and stories of Indigenous past and present. We will honor and respect our communal land; speak openly and truthfully about the seizure of Indigenous lands and attempted erasure of Indigenous people; develop, support, and promote public programs aimed at educating the community about Indigenous history and present; and celebrate Indigenous survival. We pledge to conduct continuing work in these areas in consultation and collaboration with Indigenous leadership.

As part of this work, The Gables acknowledges this land as Naumkeag, or “good fishing place,” the ancestral and current home of the Massachusett Tribe, who honored this land for thousands of years as they lived, fished, farmed, labored, raised families, and celebrated traditions on it.

We acknowledge the role The Gables has played in the seizure of Indigenous land, attempted erasure of Indigenous peoples, and defamation of Indigenous culture. This occurred for example, through the roles of the Turners in armed conflicts against the Indigenous, the unfavorable descriptions published by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the promotion of Americanization in early Settlement work. We acknowledge the silencing impact of colonialism historically and currently, as Indigenous individuals and communities fight against the ongoing impacts of state oppression.