"November is Native American Heritage Month, or as it is commonly referred to, American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. The month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. Heritage Month is also an opportune time to educate the general public about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges." (Source: National Congress of American Indians)
In 2022, the Board of Trustees approved a Native American Land Acknowledgement, as articulated below. This official statement of Phillips Academy was initiated by students associated with NAPA (Native Americans at Phillips Academy) and comes after a great deal of research by faculty, staff, and administrators.
We are on Native land. We acknowledge Phillips Academy’s presence on land once inhabited by the Pennacook and Pawtucket Peoples, as well as the modern-day Abenaki, Massachusett, Wampanoag, Wabanaki, Pokanoket, and Nipmuc Nations. Phillips Academy honors all indigenous peoples who are here now, have been here for time immemorial, and will be here in the future.
Whose Land Are You On?
Following decades of pressure from Indigenous leaders and the more recent #HonorNativeLand movement, non-Native people are beginning to understand the importance of acknowledging the many Indigenous nations, territories, and communities on which European immigrants settled and on which Americans live today. As part of this growing movement for land acknowledgement, a few Indigenous-led organizations have developed interactive maps and tools to identify the tribal territories, languages, and treaties on which we live today. We encourage you to use these tools to learn more about North America's original inhabitants, and to honor the many Indigenous communities still living on this land.