Hartsbrook

The Hartsbrook School stands on the ancestral homelands of the Nipemaug¹, of Awanusk² and her people of the Kwinitekw³ Valley.  This place has been a crossroads for the Indigenous peoples of the area for millenia:  the nearby Nashawe, Quaboag, Nipnet, Quinnebessit and Wabaquassit Nipmuk to the east; the Agawam, Podunk, Tunxis, Wangunk and Sicaog to the south; the Woronok, Nolwottog and Mahikan to the west; the Pocumtuck and Sokoki Abenaki to the north.  Farther still to the east are the Massachusett and Wampanoag, to the south the Pokanoket, Narragansett, Pequot and Mohegan.⁴  We want to honor and deeply respect the Indigenous peoples of these broad lands.

It is our task to understand the history that led to The Hartsbrook School being here today, including the harms of colonization both past and present; to develop relationships with the Indigenous peoples in this area; and, through our approach to the education of children and in joining with others, to restore balance and health to the land, to the human community, and to the being of the earth.

This document is part of the work of IDEA’s Land Acknowledgement working group: Jan Baudendistel in collaboration with Ethan Myers, Thomas Heineman, Lea Chiara, Owen Becker, and Nipemaug elders. (October 25, 2021)