Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Celebrated on Monday, October 10, Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes the Indigenous communities that have lived in the United States for thousands of years. It is now a state observance in 30 states and a state holiday in three states and one federal district. To learn more about Indigenous Peoples’ Day, take a look at some of these opportunities:

2022 Indigenous Peoples’ Day Curriculum Teach-In
Saturday, October 1, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and Teaching for Change will host an online teach-in with keynote speaker Rebecca Nagle and interactive workshops. NMAI education experts, Teaching for Change, and K–12 teachers will share curriculum and teaching strategies and explore the NMAI’s Essential Understandings for teaching about Indigenous peoples’ histories and their experiences around treaties and sovereignty today. Workshops will feature classroom resources from the NMAI’s online education portal Native Knowledge 360° and the Zinn Education Project. The teach-in will be held online via Zoom.

Celebrate Indigenous Peoples at the Institute for American Indian Studies
Sunday, October 9, 11:00am – 4:00pm

Visit the Institute for American Indian Studies for educational activities related to the Indigenous inhabitants of Quinnetukut. Join expert educators for guided tours about Native lifeways past and present. Stop by our Replicated Algonkian Village for demonstrations and discussions about traditional lifeways. Participate in games of trivia designed to test your knowledge about local Native communities. Listen to Traditional Native American Stories as recounted by Education Director Darlene Kascak, Schaghticoke Tribal Nation.

Visit the Mashantucket Pequot Museum’s The Indigenous Peoples Project: The Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Women
Indigenous cultural expression, when conveyed on canvas, presents a vibrant story of antiquity and resilience. The Pequot Women exhibition exemplifies the spirited determination, vibrant character, and resilient fortitude of the Mashantucket (Western) Pequot women in both a traditional and contemporary nature.

RECOMMENDED READING
Here are some great books on Indigenous people in Connecticut.

• History of Connecticut’s Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe by Charles Brilvitch
• Connecticut’s Indigenous Peoples: What Archaeology, History, and Oral Traditions Teach Us About Their Communities and Cultures by Lucianne Lavin
• The Quinnipiac: Cultural Conflict in Southern New England (Volume 86) by John Menta
• Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War (The Henry Roe Cloud Series on American Indians and Modernity) by Lisa Brooks