Greetings to the East,
West, North, South,
Above, Below
& Center.
Greetings to the Essences
of this place.
We, Mumbet’s Freedom Farm, thank you for the opportunity to be present and living in connection with this land & all the beings that live here. Greetings of gratitude to the ancient stewards of this land, to the Mohican nation and all their relations, and greetings to the generations of Black, Brown, Indigenous caretakers of this land and all their relations. Greetings to the essence of all that has come before us, all who steward and stand with us, and all those who have prayed us into this moment. Giving Thanks and Praise to all our beloved ancestors, to the Corn, Mugwort, Mullein, Barren Strawberry, Jack in the Pulpit, Solomon’s Seal, Goldenrod, Aster, Trillium, Black Maple, Paw Paw, Dragonfly, Wood Turtle, Bald Eagle, Black Bear, Eastern Chipmunk and all those who have long lived here, cared for and nurtured this space, this ecosystem--all those who have called this land home. We lift up Elizabeth ‘Mumbet’ Freeman and all her relations and the work for liberation that was seeded through her heart and the hearts of so many.
We lift up and acknowledge the Mohican Nation previously recognized as the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans. They were driven from their lands in Western Massachusetts and forced to relocate due to pressure and conflict catalyzed by European presence and unjust laws such as President Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act. Today the Muh-he-con-ne-ok, The Peoples of the Waters That Are Never Still, reside in Wisconsin and are known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community. The Mohican Nation continues to share & uplift their rich, dynamic history & brilliance, and the Stockbridge-Munsee Band continues to grow and thrive.
This acknowledgement was created with the support and guidance of Heather Bruegl
Elizabeth Freeman, also known as Mumbet, was an enslaved African nurse, midwife, and herbalist whose life, dedication to liberation, and love for community serve as the inspiration for our work on this land. She lived and worked in the Sheffield, Massachusetts home of Colonel Ashley, one of the creators of the 1773 Sheffield Declaration. There are many stories that have circulated about how she attained her freedom and paved the way for many others. We have heard that while living in the home of Colonel John Ashley, she was privy to political conversations that took place.
One day, she overheard a town panel preparing a resolution declaring that “Mankind in a State of Nature are equal, free, and independent.” These words were not foreign to Mumbet’s soul and sensibility, yet the impact and irony of this declaration being drafted while she lived enslaved in the home of Colonel Ashley sparked possibility in her heart. The law of that time normalized and capitalized upon the brutalization and enslavement of Black and Indigenous peoples, and Mumbet experienced this oppression at the hands of the Ashley family. She continued to reflect upon these words and attend gatherings in the town where sentiments like these and others were shared. After an incident in the Ashley home in which she was severely scarred, she walked out of the house and directly to the home of lawyer Theodore Sedgewick. She shared with him what she’d learned about the new constitution and gained Sedgwick’s support to sue the Ashley family for her freedom.
At that time, women were not permitted to be represented in court, so she asked a friend named Brom, an enslaved man in the Ashley house, if he would join her in the pursuit of freedom. On August 21st 1781, she and Brom won their case against the Ashley family.
As an emancipated woman, Mumbet expressed:
Anytime, anytime while I was a slave, if one minute’s freedom had been offered to me, and I had been told I must die at the end of that minute, I would have taken it---just to stand one minute, I would have taken it just to stand one minute on God’s Earth a free woman--- I would.
Elizabeth ‘Mumbet’ Freeman’s stand for freedom & reverence for the Earth inspire and call us to steward this land & to co-create & sustain community + sanctuary in ways that honor the Legacy, Present & Future Liberation of this land’s beings & ecosystem.
A Moment of Honor & Remembrance
“Any time, any time while I was a slave, if one minute's freedom had been offered to me, and I had been told I must die at the end of that minute, I would have taken it—just to stand one minute on god's airth [earth] a free woman—I would.”
— Elizabeth ‘Mumbet’ Freeman