Honor National Native American Heritage Month in November
We’re highlighting a few local organizations you can support, as well as a reading list to learn more about Native American history this month.
By New England Aquarium on Monday, November 27, 2023
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.
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.
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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.
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