Land Acknowledgment

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon, is located within the ancestral homelands of the Shasta, Takelma, and Latgawa peoples who lived here since time immemorial.

In the 1850s, these Tribes were displaced when colonization and Gold Rush brought thousands of Euro-Americans to their lands, leading to warfare, epidemics, starvation, and villages being burned. Starting in 1853, treaties were signed, confederating these Tribes and others together, who would be referred to as the Rogue River Tribe.

These treaties ceded most of their homelands to the United States, and in return, they were guaranteed a permanent homeland reserved for them. At the end of the Rogue River Wars in 1856, these Tribes and many other Tribes from Western Oregon were removed to the Siletz Reservation and the Grand Ronde Reservation.

Today, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians are living descendants of the Takelma, Shasta, and Latgawa peoples of this area.

We encourage you to learn about the land you reside on, and to join us in advocating for the inherent sovereignty of Indigenous people.

OSF is committed to fostering meaningful and ongoing relationships with Native artists, organizations, and community members. We recognize that this work is ever-evolving, and we seek to listen, learn, and create space for Indigenous voices. Our efforts include:

• Producing new and contemporary works by Indigenous playwrights that bring vital histories and perspectives to our audiences
  • Off the Rails by Randy Reinholz (2017)
  • Manahatta by Mary Kathryn Nagle (2018)
  • Between Two Knees by The 1491s (2019)
  • Where We Belong by Madeline Sayet (2023)
• The Visual Sovereignty Project (2021-2023), an arts commissioning initiative that highlighted Indigenous storytelling through digital and online exhibitions.
• Building lasting relationships through partnerships, including our ongoing engagement with Konaway Nika Tillikum Camp at Southern Oregon University, which serves Native youth through educational programming.
• Indigenous groups may request access to complimentary rehearsal and meeting space in OSF’s Hay Patton Rehearsal Studio or Carpenter Hall (when available). To inquire about availability, please contact [email protected]. Ideally, OSF would like two weeks' advance notice to process any space request.
• Offering Native individuals up to four complimentary tickets per season to experience and enjoy our productions. Please contact the Box Office at 800-219-8161 for more information.

OSF continues striving to learn, collaborate, and create an environment where Indigenous artists, audiences, and community members feel heard, valued, and represented.