We at Camp Harlam respectfully acknowledge that our home away from home in Kunkletown is located on the ancestral and traditional homeland of the Lenni-Lenape and Susquehannock peoples. We are conscious of and saddened by the exclusions and erasures of Indigenous peoples that resulted in our being on unceded, stolen land. We recognize and celebrate the sovereignty of these and all indigenous nations.

Much of the Lenni-Lenape population was killed or forcibly displaced from their homeland – between the Hudson and Delaware rivers – as a result of colonial settlements and the Revolutionary War. The surviving population was forcibly exiled as a part of the Indian removal policies undertaken by the American government in the 1860s. We gratefully acknowledge our Lenape neighbors who still live in the Poconos. (Pocono is itself a Lenape word, meaning “creek between two hills.”)

The Susquehannock tribe was severely impacted by the conflict and disease brought by colonists to their land, which includes parts of what are now New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. The remaining Susquehannock, assembled near Harrisburg, were violently attacked by a group of white vigilantes known as the “Paxtang Boys.” The survivors were held in a Lancaster jail for their own protection, but the Paxtang Boys returned and massacred each and every Susquehannock adult and child. As a result of this genocide, the Susquehannock – the language and the people – are now extinct.

We mourn the murder and cultural erasure of these countless inhabitants of the land we now occupy. Zichronah livracha – may their memories be for a blessing.

We are eternally grateful for the stewardship of this land undertaken for centuries by these indigenous peoples. Our appreciation extends beyond Kunkletown to the indigenous peoples of the entire country and world, and to the continued cultural vibrancy and resilience of all these communities.

It is our hope that this acknowledgement – though in no way complete – demonstrates a commitment toward the healing of these lands and is a step toward reconciliation with these Native communities. In this way, we hope to engage in Tikkun Olam (healing the world) in this corner of the world that, while beloved by us, is in some fundamental ways not ours.  As we enjoy the privilege and beauty of these lands, we must continue to recognize their significance to the people who came before us and those that are still here today.

Visit this website of current Lenape residents of Pennsylvania.

Watch this documentary about the indigenous people of the Susquehanna River.

Find out whose land you are on using this online tool.