Synod Land Acknowledgment

As demonstrated at our 2022 Synod Assembly, the practice of including a land acknowledgement at the beginning of gatherings is growing increasingly common. This practice is intended to draw our attention to the tribes and people who have stewarded the land on which we gather, and to encourage further learning about their history and present circumstances.

Our synod acknowledges and honors the Indigenous Peoples who have been stewards of this land since time immemorial.

The congregations of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod occupy the ancestral land of the Seneca Nation whose territory stretched from Niagara Falls to Washington County and from Cleveland to Harrisburg. The Seneca were part of the Five Nation Iroquois Confederacy, which included the Senecas, Cayugas, Onondagas, Oneidas, and Mohawks.  Later, the Lenape, or Delaware, and the Shawnee were welcomed by the confederacy after being displaced by British colonists.

We respect the rich history and ongoing relationship Native peoples have with this land and the many contributions Indigenous peoples continue to gift this place. As we consider our place in the story of colonization and of undoing its legacy, consider ways you can give of your time and energy to seek out information, to learn more, to do more, and to remain faithful to our shared journeys toward truth and healing.

This statement remains available on the history page of our website.

To learn more about writing a land acknowledgement for your congregation and taking steps to include this practice as part of your gatherings, see guidance from the synod’s Authentic Diversity and Justice Working Group and from the ELCA Churchwide Assembly.