The land we all currently stand on was displaced from the Haudenosonee and Anishinaabek peoples, who occupied spaces throughout the Great Lakes Region. The Anishinaabek are also known as the Three Fires Council which is comprised of the Potawatomi, Ojibwe and Ottawa. By the end of the 18th century, most tribal villages in Ohio were displaced by white settlements, ultimately ushering in the treaty era. The Treaty of Greenville is recognized as one of the seminal treaties in Ohio leading to the displacement of Indigenous peoples. Ultimately, Indigenous landholdings were reduced and most Native people in Ohio were forcibly removed to pave the way for the colonization of Ohio. Some of these removed tribes are actively working toward land reclamation in Ohio and retaining their culture despite many attempts to eradicate it, including outright genocide to boarding schools to being forced onto reservations. Today, thousands of Indigenous peoples from tribes across the country, and beyond man-made borders throughout the Americas, call Northeast Ohio home and thrive as integral parts of their respective communities. Let us recognize this land we are on in acknowledgment of the Indigenous people who first called present-day Ohio home. 

(Statement prepared by Nancy Kelsey, Cleveland-based columnist and activist.)