Storytelling from Around the WorldFor the first time, Eshu Bumpus (African American), Len Cabral (Cape Verdean), Motoko Dworkin (Japanese), and Trudie Lamb Richmond (Schaghticoke) come together in the Gathering Space for a wonderful day of multicultural stories. All four talented performers have stories unique to their cultures but with universal themes connecting them with their listeners: see Page 2.

Steve Crone from New England Dogsledding brings his sled dogs for an educational program on dog sledding in New England: see Page 5.

Our film series features four important, extremely emotional, and hard-hitting films about Indian boarding or residential schools in the United States and Canada: see Pages 6–7.

C A L E N D A R O F E V E N T S

MASHANTUCKET PEQUOT MUSEUM & RESEARCH CENTER VOL. 14, ISSUE 4 DECEMBER–FEBRUARY 2012

Special Events

Saturday, Jan. 21, 11:30 amMeet the Author: Larry Spotted Crow MannThis year the Research Library debuts Meet the Author, a new program that brings local Native authors to the Museum to discuss their works. We’re pleased that Larry Spotted Crow Mann (Nipmuc) is the first featured writer in the series. His book, Tales from the Whispering Basket, has received praise from readers and reviewers. The stories reflect his Native roots and family oral traditions but also embrace universal themes. Spotted Crow has performed here with The Quabbin Lake Singers, and now we welcome him as a writer. Please join us to hear him talk about his book and the inspiration for writing the stories. Buy a copy for yourself or as a gift and get it autographed. In the Research Library, ages 14 and older. Free. Snow date is Jan. 28.

Saturday, Dec. 10, 1–2:30 pmBeading ClassFor thousands of years, Native artists in the Northeast made beads from shells, bones, and stones. Later as glass trade beads became available, they were woven into belts, strung into necklaces, and used to decorate clothing. Please join Native artist Candyce Testa (Pequot) in this beginner’s workshop to make your own glass beaded earrings. Come and follow in the footsteps of Native ancestors who kept their hands busy during the cold winter months. All materials are provided. Limited to 15 participants, ages 14 and older. $35/$25 Museum members. Call (800) 411-9671 or email seleazer@mptn-nsn.gov by Dec. 9 to register.

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Saturday, Jan. 14, 11 am & 2 pmStorytelling from Around the WorldFor the first time, Eshu Bumpus (African American), Len Cabral (Cape Verdean), Motoko Dworkin (Japanese), and Trudie Lamb Richmond (Schaghticoke) come together in the Gathering Space for a wonderful day of multicultural stories. All four talented performers have stories unique to their cultures but with universal themes connecting them with their listeners. Audiences of all ages become engaged and entertained by the weaving of these special yarns. Free with Museum admission, free to Museum members.

December Fun

Saturdays, Dec. 3 & 10, 11 am–3 pmHoliday Ornaments from the Natural WorldDecember is a time of giving and sharing. Join us at the Expressive Visions Circle in the Gathering Space for a fun time creating tree ornaments. Just as Native people are often inspired by patterns from nature when making practical and decorative items, you can use our selection of natural materials to make something beautiful. Transform gum tree balls and toothpicks into a beautiful star decoration! Free with Museum admission, free to Museum members.

Wednesday & Thursday Dec. 28 & 29, 11 am & 1 pmRead Me a StoryKids of all ages are invited to listen as Museum staff read from books by Native authors and storytellers. Picture books in the Longhouse are good for pre K– 3rd grade and there are longer books in the Daily Life exhibit near the Pequot Village for 4 – 6th grade students. Visitors in grades 7 and 8 should meet in the Life of the Reservation exhibit to hear traditional Native stories, including some scary ones. Books by Passamaquoddy, Abenaki, Choctaw, Crow, and Cherokee authors are among the ones selected from our Children’s Library. Take a break, sit down, and listen to a good story! Free with Museum admission, free to Museum members.

Friday & Saturday Dec. 16 & 17, 11 am–3 pmWinter Thanksgiving: The Winter Solstice Join us during our Winter Solstice thanksgiving in the Gathering Space. At 11 am and 1 pm, enjoy the puppet show, Yah-How or Pushing Up the Sky, a traditional story that comes to us from the Northwest coast tribes. A new storyteller, Meredith Vasta (Turtle Mountain Chippewa), also shares her stories with children of all ages at 11 am and 1 pm, to our Longhouse. Discovery Carts are stationed throughout the exhibits. Make sure the kids stop by our activity table in the Gathering Space to make a lantern to light the night. While there, visit with local Native artists who offer unique holiday gifts for that special someone on your list. Free with Museum admission, free to Museum members.

NATIVE VISIONS / WINTER 2012 3

Tree of NationsMake sure to admire the Tree of Nations in the Gathering Space during December. It is decorated with hand-crafted, culturally meaningful ornaments created by many tribal nations from across North America.

Winter Survival

Saturday, Jan. 21, 11 am–3 pmWinter Survival SkillsStop by the Farmstead during the day as Head Curator Steve Cook talks about and demonstrates some winter survival skills that were commonly used in New England in years past. See fire-starting techniques and learn what foods were dried or smoked for winter use and how those foods were prepared. Steve helps you identify the tracks of common animals and other signs that animals and birds leave in your back yard. Please dress appropriately for this outdoor activity. At 2:30 pm, in the Auditorium, watch John Houston’s powerful documentary, Diet of Souls, about the Inuit hunter’s relationship with the animals he hunts. (48 min.) Free with Museum admission, free to Museum members.

Saturday, Jan. 21, 1 pm–2 pmFinding Winter FoodInterested in finding food without going to the supermarket? Spend an hour with Senior Researcher Dr. Jason Mancini and learn to identify and locate important foods for winter survival. Food and beverage samples are provided. Dress appropriately for the weather and bring your snowshoes if there is enough snow on the ground. This ethnobotany walk begins on the Farmstead and is limited to 25 participants. Free with Museum admission, free to Museum members. Call (800) 411-9671 or email seleazer@mptn-nsn.gov by Jan. 20 to register.

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February Fun

Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 am–noonForgotten Trails, Forgotten Sites: Frozen Swamp WalkJoin Senior Researcher Dr. Jason Mancini and Candyce Testa (Pequot) on a winter trek into and around the 500-acre Great Cedar Swamp. Known to the Pequots as Ohomowauke (owl’s nest) and Cuppacummock (refuge or hiding place), the swamp provided both protection and a stable source of food. Explore the various habitats and resources of the swamp and visit archaeological sites. If there is sufficient snow, bring along your snowshoes. Limited to 25 participants. $15/$5 Museum members. Call (800) 411-9671 or seleazer@mptn-nsn.gov by Feb. 10 to register.

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Wednesday & Thursday, Feb. 22 & 23, 2 pmNew England Dog SleddingSteve Crone from New England Dogsledding brings his sled dogs for an educational program on dog sledding in New England. His dogs are Alaskan huskies which originated with Alaskan Native sled dogs, and have been bred to be faster; they are not the Siberian huskies or malamutes often seen in movies or on television. These huskies are known for their strength and working ability — they can run 80 to 150 miles per day. Join us in the Gathering Space for this one-of-a-kind event! Dog sledding is just one of the many animal-based programs offered at Wilderness Lodge in Maine. Visit www.NewEnglandDogsledding.com for more information. Free with Museum admission, free to Museum members.

February Films

Saturday, Feb. 11, 2 pm Older than America with Georgina LightningGeorgina Lightning (Cree) made her writing and directing debut with Older than America, the story of a woman beset by visions that led her to an abandoned Indian boarding school. This powerful film turns a painful chapter of U.S. history into a compelling, piercing drama reflective of many of the actual atrocities that darkened the doors of Indian boarding schools across the country and Canada. Special guest Georgina Lightning talks about directing this film after the viewing. (101 min.)

Saturday, Feb. 4, 2 pmIn the White Man’s ImageThis 1991 film gives viewers an introduction to the Indian boarding schools while the remaining films in the series shed more light on the lasting repercussions of such a draconian system. The Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania was a boarding school designed to remove Indian children from the influence of their parents and communities and, as founder Captain Richard Pratt said, they were to “kill the Indian, and save the man.” The children suffered epidemics of cholera, influenza, and tuberculosis, as well as abuse, and the cemetery on the school grounds attests to the number of children who died there. (58 min.)

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Elementary school class of Indian students with botanical specimens at United States Indian School, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Jim Thorpe (Sac and Fox (Sauk) in his Carlisle Indians football uniform. Thorpe is considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports.

Saturdays, Feb. 4, 11, 18, & 25, 2 pmThe Legacy of Indian Boarding SchoolsThis year our film series features four important, extremely emotional, and hard-hitting films about Indian boarding or residential schools in the United States and Canada during the 19th and 20th centuries. Affecting Native people from across North America, the boarding school experience is an important issue to face, discuss, and remember. Due to mature content, the films are recommended for ages 16 and older. All films start at 2 pm. Free with Museum admission, free to Museum members.

Thomas Indian School, Administration Building, 1983.

February FilmsSaturday, Feb. 18, 2 pmUnseen Tears with Michael MartinNative American families in western New York continue to feel the impact of the Thomas Indian School and the Mohawk Institute. Survivors speak of traumatic separation from families, abuse, and a systematic assault on their language and culture. These communities are presently trying to heal the wounds and break the cycle of inter-generational trauma resulting from the boarding school experience. Following the film, Michael Martin, Onondaga of the Beaver Clan and one of the film’s producers, discusses it with the audience. (30 min.)

Saturday, Feb. 25, 2 pmUnrepentant with Kevin AnnettUnrepentant documents the abuse in Canada’s church-run Indian residential schools and clergyman Kevin Annett’s efforts to document and make public these crimes. First-hand testimonies from residential school survivors are interwoven with Annett’s own story of how he faced firing, de-frocking, and the loss of his family, reputation, and livelihood as a result of his efforts to help survivors and bring out the truth of the residential schools. Unrepentant is based on Kevin Annett’s book Hidden from History: The Canadian Holocaust. The entire film was a self-funded, grassroots effort, which is reflected in its earthy and human quality. Kevin Annett accompanies this film to engage viewers in discussion following the showing. (105 min.)

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Kevin Annett, at a public rally outside Holy Rosary Cathedral in downtown Vancouver, Canada on January 13, 2008.

Museum Member EventSaturday, Feb. 18, 10:30 am–noon & 1:30–3 pmForensic Archaeology Workshops & LunchPlease join Head Conservator Douglas Currie and fellow museum members in the Conservation Laboratory to learn just a few of the techniques used by forensic archaeologists as they discover the stories behind excavated artifacts. Learn how to analyze artifacts made of metal, stone, and shell, and how researchers tell the difference between real and fake artifacts by using specialized equipment and methods. Due to limited space in the lab, there are two sessions; one is at 10:30 am and the second is at 1:30 pm, with lunch at noon for both sessions. Feast on butternut pumpkin soup, garden salad, dinner rolls, stuffed pork loin with bread herb stuffing, shaved roast beef, brown gravy, chive mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and bread pudding with bourbon sauce. $30 per person. Limited to 15 participants per session, ages 16 and older. Please RSVP by Feb. 11 to Sarah Eleazer at (860) 396-6890 or seleazer@mptn-nsn.gov. Snow date is Feb. 25.

DECEMBER1–31 TreeofNations..............................................................................33&10 HolidayOrnaments....................................................................33 FreeAdmissionforKids!..........................................................810 BeadingClass.................................................................................216&17 WinterThanksgiving.................................................................328&29 ReadMeaStory............................................................................3

JANUARY7 FreeAdmissionforKids!..........................................................814 StorytellingfromAroundtheWorld...............................221 MeettheAuthor..........................................................................221 WinterSurvivalSkills..................................................................421 FindingWinterFood.................................................................4

FEBRUARY4 FreeAdmissionforKids!..........................................................84 Film:In the White Man’s Image............................................611 FrozenSwampWalk...................................................................511 Film:Older than America.........................................................618 Film:Unseen Tears.......................................................................718 ForensicArchaeologyWorkshops&Lunch................722&23 NewEnglandDogSledding.................................................525 Film:Unrepentant........................................................................7

Download the Pequot Museum’s free app titled MPMRC from the iPhone App Store or itunes.com/appstore!

Ongoing EventsThroughDec.30 IndiVisible: African-Native American

Lives in the AmericasExhibit

Scout WorkshopsThe Mashantucket Pequot Museum offers two-hour workshops for scout troops of all ages to help meet badge requirements for programs in Native American culture, archaeology, and geology. They are scheduled every Saturday at 10 am and 1 pm from October through May and the fee of $11 per scout includes a guided exhibit tour and museum admission for the day.

For more information, contact a Marketing & Group Sales Associate at (860) 396-6839 or groupsales@pequotmuseum.org.

Saturdays, Dec. 3, Jan. 7, & Feb. 4, 9 am–5 pmFree Admission for Kids!Since a visit to the Museum is a great way to spend some quality time with children and grandchildren, this winter the first Saturday of the month is free for children ages 15 and younger. Spend the whole day in the Museum; buy lunch in the cafeteria and browse in the gift shop. Enjoy exploring our exciting exhibits while learning about Native people. Cannot be combined with any other offer for discounted adult admission rates.

110 Pequot Trail, P.O. Box 3180Mashantucket, CT 06338-3180

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Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center 110 Pequot Trail, Mashantucket, CT 06338-3180Wed.–Sat. 9 am–5 pm, last admission at 4 pm.

Please call 1-800-411-9671 or visit www.pequotmuseum.org

for additional information.

Take Exit 92 off of I-95 or Exit 79A off I-395, and follow signs to the Mashantucket

Pequot Reservation and the Pequot Museum.

On possible snow days, call (800) 411-9671 for cancellations.