Sacred Heart University acknowledges that Indigenous peoples and nations, including the Paugussett, Pequonnock, Schaghticoke and Wappinger peoples, have stewarded through generations the land, rivers and sound that became the state of Connecticut. Furthermore, we acknowledge the traumatic impact that policies of removal, termination and assimilation had, and continue to have, within these same Indigenous communities.
Our University–through curriculum, partnership and service, and in keeping with our Vatican II roots in social justice–seeks to promote education surrounding the struggles of Native people, and the destruction that resulted from genocide, forced removal and continual attempts of erasure inflicted upon them. We celebrate the continued resilience and cultural survival of Native people—past, present and future—while honoring the relationship that still exists between these Nations and this land.
To further genuinely acknowledge this difficult history, we commit to anti-racist and anti-oppression actions by developing and operationalizing our Pioneer Plan for Inclusive Excellence, which addresses systemic issues.
Map Source: https://native-land.ca/
Why Does a Land Acknowledgment Statement Matter?*
- Indigenous voices are added to a historical narrative where they have often been left out
- Provides University-wide education and reflection on the Native peoples who originally occupied the land on which our campuses are built
- Encourages open conversation and continued education on Indigenous cultures, current issues and Native rights movements around the country
- Emphasizes to our community the impact of the history of colonization on Indigenous peoples and how this shapes their existence today
Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe History*
The Golden Hill Paugussett Nation’s territory prior to European contact in the early 17th century extended from New Haven, CT to Westport, CT and towards the upward reaches of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers. The Paugussett and surrounding tribes lived off of clams and oysters along the shores, in addition to hunting game and harvesting crops such as corn, beans and squash, referred to as the “Three Sisters.” Wampum was another key aspect of Paugussett culture; these beads were made from quahog shells found along the coast and used to create traditional ceremonial attire and belts.
Their traditional lives were forever altered with the impacts of Dutch traders settling in 1614 and coercing the Paugussett Nation into wampum manufacturing to further fur trade efforts; the English Puritans establishing “New England” in 1620 and threatening Natives into conforming to their religious beliefs; the deadly 1637 Pequot War in resistance to colonization; and the declaration of the Golden Hill Paugussett reservation in 1659 by the General Court in Hartford, which left the Paugussett Nation with half of their territory on less viable land. This tribal history outlines the way in which colonization and European contact marked a permanent shift in Native existence and emphasizes the violent ways in which settler land acquisition took place.
*Contributed by Orenda Senior BS ’23, Health Science/Public Health
