"We Are Still Here" - Indigenous Peoples of the Northeast
A Month-Long Celebration - Most Events are Free and Open to the Public
https://berkshireolli.org/UniversityDays2022
For the past several months, I have been a member of a large group of OLLI volunteers and staff who have been working to put together the programming described in the link ^ just given.
If you have an interest in Indigenous rights, culture, and history, I urge you to check out the offerings. Some of the events are in-person (such as the walking tours and art exhibits). Many of the book groups and all of the lectures are online.
OLLI, as noted on this postcard, is the adult education arm of BCC. Although many of OLLI’s regular events are oriented toward older adults, there is no age limit; everyone is welcome to attend.
The tribulations and triumphs of indigenous people have been receiving much attention in recent years. The (mis)use of indigenous memes and names for sports teams has generated lively discussion. Many placenames have been changed to reflect our indigenous heritage.
The boarding school scandals, long a source of much pain in the indigenous communities, have been given widespread publicity. A wonderful book on this topic is the fictionalized account by Richard Wagamese — Indian Horse.
In my childhood, I heard stories from my grandmother about the people who first came to the area where I grew up (and now live). She was the Stockbridge town historian, and knew more than anyone else about the history of the town (a family tradition that has been carried on by my brother Rick). I was fascinated by the tales of the “Stockbridge Indians” (now federally recognized as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community).
A few years ago, in my retirement, I became familiar with several Berkshire properties that have hiking trails, and I volunteered to conduct an OLLI course to share the research I had done on them. I quickly learned that most of my students had little or no awareness of the rich history of the people indigenous to this area. So I volunteered to conduct a course on that topic, which was well received.
Since then, several others have joined in to offer their perspectives as instructors, and OLLI has offered talks by indigenous authors. Public interest has grown, aided by the good work of Rob Hoogs and others at the Bidwell House Museum in Monterey, as well as other venues throughout the county. It’s good to see.