This was written by Local Pulse:
A new event space, Charleston Woodlands in association and lineage of Middleton Place Plantation, now offers a forested gathering grounds at which several local favorite entities are lining up to make memorable events happen this fall. The local Halloween Hip Hop sensation party Skinful Halloween, will open their events at this location with a traditional Indigenous Land and Labor Acknowledgement given by Halo Quaponda of the Quaponda Tribe. The Land and Labor Acknowledgement will be the opening ceremony for Skinful Halloween at 5:30 pm on Saturday Oct. 26th.
This is a significant healing moment for all populations living in the memory of colonization genocide as well as plantation oppression and the societal consequences still alive today. By now, most people know that the colonialization myth we learned has very little truth to it. The “New World Discovered” was one inhabited by indigenous people spanning the entire continent. We also know that the slave holding tradition of plantations and their continued profit without reparation to the lineage that built the legacy is a continuation of privilege heavily steeped in Charleston culture. Therefore, a Land and Labor Acknowledgement is a step in the right direction for this event which is taking actions to be agents of change and inclusive community.
A Land and Labor Acknowledgement is a formal statement that pays tribute to the original inhabitants of the land and the many years of labor and stewardship that went into the space. The purpose of this is to show respect for the full history of life and recognize the peoples enduring relationship to the land. Practicing acknowledgment will raise awareness about histories that are often suppressed and untold therefore being at risk of becoming forgotten. The acknowledgment process allows the community to better understand history and Charleston Woodlands is the perfect place to ask the deeper questions: What does it mean to live in a post-colonial America? What did it take for us to get here? And how can we be accountable to our part in history and build an economic around reparations for the profits we make off this land?
Into the Woods and Skinful Halloween are stepping up and we commend this honoring of local culture and true nature. Please plan to attend these opening ceremonies with a sense of respect and honoring and then enjoy the vibrations of the Tribal Hip Hop Group that Quaponda Tribe brings through Halo's Music Performance later on the schedule at the events.
