MBL Introduces Land Acknowledgement Statement

Working together with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the Marine Biological Laboratory has developed a land acknowledgement statement to recognize the Tribe’s historical and enduring relationship to the land we now call Woods Hole. A land acknowledgment is a traditional custom in many Native communities and nations to show respect to the people of the land since time immemorial.

To view the MBL’s land acknowledgement statement, guidelines for its use, and an introduction to the Mashpee Wampanoag, please visit the MBL’s Diversity and Inclusion webpage. MBL community members are encouraged to use the land acknowledgement in their presentations, at the beginning of MBL events, and in their e-mail signature, if they have an MBL e-mail address.

The web page includes a recording of a Jan. 19 presentation at MBL by Wampanoag Tribal member Nitana Hicks Greendeer, Ph.D., on Wampanoag history and culture in the Cape Cod region, followed by a community conversation. The MBL views the development of its land acknowledgement statement as a first step and is committed to an ongoing dialogue with the Tribe toward the development of beneficial and enriching interactions.