DEI Committee's Land Acknowledgment
Our path and purpose in this place is to allow healing forces to work throughout the land and all living beings here. We acknowledge that the Emerson Waldorf School stands upon the homelands of the Indigenous Peoples of this region who are the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, as well as former inhabitants known as the Eno, Shakori, Keyauwee, Tuscarora, Saponi, Saura, Occaneechi, and Sissiphaw Peoples. The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation now resides at Pleasant Grove, Alamance County, North Carolina.
We know that Indigenous Peoples were driven from these lands, and they were taken without agreement and given as a land grant to the Blackwood Family in 1755. We also acknowledge the enslaved peoples who lived and worked upon these lands, some of whom were laid to rest on what is now the Blackwood Farm Park. We recognize the many contributions made to our community through enslaved and Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge, labor, technology, science, philosophy, and the arts.
As we enter the time of the year in which many families celebrate Thanksgiving, at school, we are beginning the journey towards the Winter Solstice and the longest night of the year. Many classes celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, and made lanterns for their Martinmas Lantern Walk to kindle heart warmth that will shine in the darkness. We will continue this gesture by walking the Spiral of Light with the students in December as winter begins to take hold.
When we reflect on the blessings we enjoy as a community, we have the opportunity to acknowledge those who are in need or are suffering. We can look out into the world and find examples of people asking for our love and care. Then, we must come to terms with wrongs that have been and continue to be committed that allow many of us to reap social and economic benefits.
Up the road in Hillsborough, the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi people are in the process of constructing a replica village near the site of the original Occaneechi encampment along the Eno River. The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi has had authority returned to use this land by both Orange County and Town of Hillsborough governments as these are the ancestral lands of the Occaneechi. The return of use has been a conscious acknowledgment that Europeans took Occaneechi land. The replica village will be an educational center for the tribe to share their stories and traditions on their terms. Tribal members are directing all of the efforts at the site.
As we carry our inner light into winter, we can shed that light on the true history of our country and those who have lost their lives, land, and agency. Please support the Occaneechi by visiting their site here (https://obsn.org/) and finding out about their work to uplift and strengthen their people.
Benjamin Trueblood
Class Teacher
For the EWS DEI Committee