In March, 2021, members of the Pequannock Democratic Committee researched the history of the Lenape people in our area, connected with experts and sought their feedback, and drafted a Land Acknowledgment that was approved by the committee. The land acknowledgment is read at the start of our meetings and events as a reminder that long before the history of the Township of Pequannock began, another people roamed, farmed, and cared for the lands we now call home. These people were forcibly removed from the land upon which they dwelt, further and further from their homes, often violently. We use the land acknowledgment as a constant reminder of this part of our town’s history and as a commitment to honor those who came before us and to care for the land as they once did. 

Pequannock Democratic Committee Land Acknowledgment

We gather today in Pequannock Township on the ancestral homelands of the Lenape people, whose language provides us with the names Pompton and Pequannock. The Lenape peacefully roamed and farmed the land of this region until they were displaced by colonial settlers and forced into the northern mountains and beyond. We honor the Indigenous people who gently walked this land before us. We commit to educate our residents of the importance of the Lenape to our local history and to be better stewards of the land we inhabit.

Adopted March 24, 2021