Land Acknowledgement

Boston Food Forest Coalition acknowledges and honors the first and ongoing custodians of the land and waters where we work and play, specifically the Massachusee (Massachusett) & Wôpanâak (Wampanoag) First Nations Peoples; with particular recognition for the Patuxet (Pawtucket), Neponset, Naumkeag, Pocasset & Pokanoket tribes, who have traveled, lived, worked, and cared for their unceded lands in and around Boston for tens of thousands of years. BFFC extends respect and gratitude to all First Nations people who continue to live and steward in the cultural, spiritual, and educational customs of their ancestors.

Our acknowledgment and gratitude is mirrored by the recognition that our community food forests grow on stolen, unceded indigenous land in Massachusetts as a whole. While we can’t change the past, we can collaborate in the present by uplifting the work of Indigenous leaders as an organization and by supporting existing efforts as individuals. We believe that this collaboration has the power to regenerate the future, while mobilizing our acknowledgement into action.

Image of present-day Greater Boston Area with overlaid Indigenous territories. Source: Native Land, 2023, Map of Northeast U.S.. https://native-land.ca/

Depiction of Native land distribution across New England during the 17th century. Source: Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag Website                                                               

Maps of Wampanoag country in the 1600s. Source: OLC teacher resources.

Native Camp on Savin Hill. Source: LastCamp, James Starke, 1884, Dorchester Reporter.

Present-day Native Territories. Source: UMASS About | Native American Trail's Project