b'LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTWhat is a land acknowledgement?ALandAcknowledgementisaformalstatementthatrecognizestheuniqueandenduringrelationshipthatexistsbetween Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories. Why acknowledge the land?It is important to recognize and acknowledge the long historyof the land and how we came to reside on it. Colonialism is acontinualprocess,andwemustbemindfulofhowweparticipate.AcknowledgingthelandandtheIndigenouspeople whose traditional land it is allows the opportunity toseek deeper understanding of our place within its history. Austin Gardens and Oak ParkOakParkFestivalTheatreshomeofOakParkwastakenprimarily in Cession 78 and in part in Cession 148. The tribes asnamedinthesetreatiesareOttawa,Chipawas,andPottowotomees.WeacknowledgethatOakPark-andspecifically our main venue of use, Austin Gardens - residesontheancestrallandsoftheBodwwadmi(Potawatomi),Odawa(Ottawa),andOjibweChipewapeoples.Wehonorthem and express gratitude for their stewardship of this land.Oak Park Festival Theatres mission is to explore our sharedhumanitybytellingstoriesthatstandthetestoftime.Indigenous peoples are not only a part of our past, but alsoour present and future. To ignore the colonization of this landwould be dishonoring these tribes and going against our corevalues.Please visit oakparkfestival.com for more information'