“You are on Indigenous Land”

"You are on Indigenous Land"

This 2026 poster was designed collaboratively by the Land Acknowledgment steering committee and the Communications Office. The QR code allows Trinity College students, faculty, and staff to read the land acknowledgment statement, hear pronunciations, and learn more about Native nations in Connecticut and beyond.

The poster should inspire community members to ask questions about land. The place where we are is historically a Wangunk territory called “Suckiaug,” also spelled “Sicaog” and “Saukiog.” The name means black fertile earth in Algonquian and is much older than “Hartford.” Within this larger territory, Trinity’s campus sits in close proximity to a local place named “Pesiponk.”

Because the college sits at a diplomatic crossroads where many nations have converged over time, the poster’s list of names refers to several Native nations and communities, beginning with “Wangunk,” the name of Native people whose territory before colonization included present-day Hartford, Wethersfield, Glastonbury, Rocky, Hill, Portland, Middletown, Haddam, East Hampton, and East Haddam. The list of names ends with the two federally recognized Native nations in the state, Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot, as well as the three state-recognized Native nations, Golden Hill Paugusett, Eastern Pequot, and Schaghticoke. The poster also lists other less-recognized Native communities in the local region to which people have belonged.

The visual design centers a photograph of the chapel and Long Walk. The layered shapes serve as a metaphor for the many Indigenous people who have shared space here over time. The color palette draws from Trinity’s visual identity and reflects colors historically used by many Native nations. Red, in particular, appears prominently across many Indigenous cultures, often alongside blue, yellow, and green. The design acknowledges that shared visual heritage while remaining consistent with the College’s blue and gold.

Curious about how to obtain a poster, feel free to reach out to [email protected] for a printed copy of the poster.