From the shores of Gichi-gami, the Nordic Center of Duluth exists on the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Cheyenne, and Dakota people. The Nordic Center recognizes that the land the Center rests on was stolen from the Dakota and Ojibwe people. Indeed, our address on Lake Avenue is located on an ancient trail used by American Indian people to travel from their summer camps at Shagawamik (Park Point) to the winter camps on Canosia Lake (Pike Lake) and Kitchi-sagaiigun (Grand Lake). We pay our respect to the ancestors of this land and reaffirm our relationship with one another as we continue on the path of reconciliation. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide, the forced removal, assimilation, and broken treaties which have alienated Indigenous people from their homelands. The Nordic Center of Duluth is committed to ongoing efforts to recognize, support, and advocate for American Indian peoples and their nations’ sovereignty. Our full land acknowledgement statement is framed on our wall and can be found on our website.