You are standing on occupied land called Aquehonga Manacknong or place of the bad woods, a part of Lenapehoking, the ancestral homeland of the Lenape people. We honor the significance of this land, now known as Staten Island, and wish to pay our respect to the Lenape communities past and present, and to future generations. We also wish to extend this respect to all Indigenous peoples who visit these grounds.
We acknowledge that our institution was founded upon and has benefited by exclusions and erasures of many Indigenous people. Forcefully evicted from this land by Dutch settlers in the 17th century, three Lenape tribes called Staten Island their home: the Tappan, Hackensack, and Raritan peoples.
We recognize the deep and painful legacy of colonialism on this land and commit to the process of working to dismantle ongoing structural racism and colonialism. Snug Harbor strives to build a culture of diversity of voice and representation, authentically inclusive spaces, and equity for all.
Learn more about Staten Island’s and New York City’s Indigenous roots:
Smithsonian Magazine: The True Native New Yorkers Can Never Truly Reclaim Their Homeland by Colleen Connolly, October 5, 2018
