As representatives of our community, the Skokie Park District, whose focus is on the preservation, enjoyment and celebration of our diverse community’s land and people, we gratefully acknowledge those whose presence on this land came before us and impacted what we know as Skokie today.
Skokie was a central crossroads of travel for the Indigenous people who lived in and maintained relationships in this area. Roads we travel every day would not exist without those who formed these paths first.
We acknowledge the land used for our parks and facilities, as once being the homelands of a variety of native groups who traveled through and inhabited the boundaries of what is now Skokie.
We also acknowledge the appropriation of native languages in our naming conventions and are committed to addressing this over time.
We are dedicated to celebrating the Indigenous history and continued presence of Native American cultures in our community. The Chicago land area is home to a vibrant and thriving Native community, one of the largest urban populations in the country. We look forward to working in collaboration with Native communities to represent them as they prefer to be represented.
Native groups known to have had a presence in this area at various times prior to forced relocation and decimation were:
- Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe)
- Bodéwadmik (Potawatomi)
- Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk)
- Inoka (Illini Confederacy - Peoria, Piankashaw, Wea, Kaskasia)
- Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo)
- Menominee (Mamaceqtaw)
- Myaaniaki (Miami)
- Odawak (Odawa)
- Sac and Fox
Many of these Native groups and more than 140 more still call this region home.