The Virginia Synod Office of the Bishop is located on the original and ancestral homelands of the Tutelo and Monacan peoples (Western Office of the Bishop, Salem) and the Chesapeake and Lumbee peoples (Eastern Office of the Bishop, Norfolk), and we give thanks for their presence here since time immemorial. We also wish to recognize and honor all our Indigenous siblings who have and continue to call this land their home.
You can discover the names of the native people who lived where you live now, by going to: https://native-land.ca/.
If you are interested in learning more about Land Acknowledgements, Vance Blackfox, Director of ELCA Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations, wrote a helpful article in Good Faith Media entitled, “Why, and How, You Should Practice the Ritual of Land Acknowledgment“.
The ELCA Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations webpage on the ELCA website includes a Land Acknowledgement Guide. Use the button below to download the guide.