Our conference gathers thinkers and creators on Mannahatta in Lenapehoking, the ancestral homelands of the Lenape. As we gather in this place, we strive to do so with respect and gratitude, while also acknowledging the violence of forced relocation and displacement experienced by the Lenape peoples, many of whom as a result are now in diaspora across Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Ontario, and elsewhere.
The theme of our conference, Sounds of De/Composition, compels us to consider the inseparable connections between Indigenous and ecological thriving, as well as the complex ways settler colonialism intersects with other systems of oppression, including racism, sexism, ableism, and species-based violence. As we engage in our conference activities, we encourage attendees to reflect on how our academic and creative work intersects with these interconnected systems, both in Lenapehoking and within our own communities, institutions, and research sites.
We believe that land acknowledgments can be important, and that gathering for conversation, learning, and reflection, as we are doing at this conference, is crucial for deepening our understandings of how settler colonialism shapes our work and our lives. However, we also recognize that acknowledgement, learning, and research must not conclude this process, particularly where these activities occur within colonial educational institutions. They instead must participate in broader efforts toward real, material change, including work to uphold treaty rights, return land, repatriate cultural objects, and protect land, water, and non-human beings. We thus invite our participants to join us as we consider actions to take within and outside our universities to support such movements. As we participate in the conference, consider learning about and supporting the work of the following organizations:
American Indian Community House