Land Acknowledgement

Music for the Heartland

The NGSO acknowledges that we are gathered in the homeland of the Hopewell, Wyandotte, Shawnee, Delaware, and other Indigenous Nations. Thousands of years ago, Indigenous peoples made this region a center of trade, culture, and innovation, in astronomy, geography, mathematics, and engineering. The large-scale geometric, boundary and effigy earthworks still visible in the region bear witness to its historical importance. Beginning in the 17th century, European colonization resulted in the exclusion and erasure of the indigenous original people, in what is known today as Licking County. The Federal Government forcibly removed the tribes whose ancestral territory this land was through the Indian Removal Act of 1830. There are currently no federally-recognized American Indian tribes in the State of Ohio. We pay respect to all these groups, to their elders, ancestors, and future generations, and acknowledge their ongoing contributions to this area. The NGSO is committed to developing and producing the work of emerging and established American artists who reflect these cultures, and to welcoming all audiences.

We realize that acknowledgement is not enough, but by acknowledging this history, we can begin to confront the racism from which the NGSO has benefited.