Honor National Native American Heritage Month in November

November is National Native American Heritage Month, a time to honor the history, traditions, heritage, and contributions of American Indian, Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Indigenous people across the nation. Here, learn more about a few local groups supporting Native communities in New England and see our reading list of books by Indigenous authors on Native history and environmental activism.

Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag

Before the arrival of English colonizers, the Indigenous Massachusett people lived throughout what we now call the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Today, the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag maintains the ancestral knowledge and practices of their forebears, carrying on the thousands of years of history of Massachusetts’ first peoples.

One of those practices includes building fish weirs, structures traditionally used by Indigenous people for fishing in local waters. Thomas Green, an artist, educator, and member of the Massachusett tribe, has visited communities across Massachusetts to construct fish weirs, sharing the practice to “remind those communities of the history and current presence of the first peoples who originally inhabited those places.” Earlier this year, we were fortunate enough to have Thomas at the Aquarium for our World Ocean Day celebration, where Thomas taught event attendees and staff how to build a weir!

North American Indian Center of Boston

Established in 1969, the North American Indian Center of Boston is the longest-operating urban Indian center in Massachusetts, with the mission to “empower the Native American community with the goal of improving the quality of life of Indigenous peoples.” They offer a range of services to Native people in the state, including employment services, youth programs, and advocacy.

This year, for Native American Heritage Month, the Aquarium welcomed Mi’kmaq nurse, empowerment coach, Reiki master, and entrepreneur Sara Melcher to hold an Indigenous Women’s Empowerment session at the Simons Theatre. Sara shared self-care skills for daily life and guided a soothing sound bath session, a practice that can help reduce stress and bring balance to mind and body.

 

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Native Land Conservancy

Founded in 2012 by Ramona Peters, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, the Native Land Conservancy is a Native-led land conservation organization. The group uses Indigenous methods to “protect, restore, and share” land that has been donated to the group or that they otherwise care for—including the Wampanoag Common Lands in Kingston and Mills Preserve in Mashpee.

 

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Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust

The Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust (PPLT) is “a tribally led non-profit dedicated to reconnecting communities of American Indian tribes, clans, Urban Indians, and indigenous people across the Northeast.”

As part of PPLT’s work, the group aims to reclaim ancestral lands of the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation for tribal stewardship, preserving and protecting the lands for future generations. PPLT also offers programs for BIPOC communities across the region, teaching Native farming methods and offering free workshops and training on sustainable and climate-smart agriculture.

 

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Mashpee Wampanoag Museum

The Mashpee Wampanoag Museum is managed by the Tribal Historic Preservation Office of the Mashpee Wampanoag and is located in one of the oldest remaining homes in Mashpee, which was built in 1793. Visitors to the museum can learn about the history and culture of the Wampanoag from the time of the Stone Age through the present—it’s the only museum of its kind dedicated to Wampanoag history.

This month, Massachusetts governor Maura Healey visited the Mashpee Wampanoag reservation in honor of Native American Heritage Month, and the tribe celebrated Healey’s recent executive order officially granting state recognition to the Herring Pond Wampanoag, the sister tribe of the Mashpee Wampanoag.

 

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