We acknowledge that the land on which we reside, now known as the Town of Marblehead, is the ancestral homeland of the Naumkeag Band of the Massachusetts and Pawtucket tribes. They lived here under the leadership of the Great Sachem Nanepashemet. Since time immemorial, the Naumkeag people maintained this land and surrounding water with the utmost respect, preserving it for future generations and treating it as sacred ground for the burial of their dead. They had an organized and thriving community before the arrival of European settlers. The Naumkeag people suffered great loss of life during King Philip’s War and the small pox plagues, and the surviving members were dispossessed of the land. Although we are unaware of any Naumkeag descendants living in Marblehead today, we honor the Naumkeag people of the Massachusetts and Pawtucket tribes, past and present, as the original stewards of this land and pledge to include their history in the history of our Town.
Article 32, 2022 Annual Town Meeting