About
Image Credit: Gwyn Gutheil
Land acknowledgements are made to honor and respect the strength and resilience of indigenous peoples in protecting this land. We begin by acknowledging that the lands and waterways of what is now the state of Connecticut have been stewarded by the Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Nipmuc, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Niantic, Lenape, and the Quinnipiac and other Algonquian speaking peoples throughout the generations.
“Trinity College is located just west of the Kwinitekw, or Connecticut River, within Wangunk homelands. The river valley has sustained countless generations of Wangunk people, joined by Indigenous communities from across the globe, including within Hartford’s Andean, Central American, and Caribbean communities. Situated in Hartford, we at Trinity have ongoing investment in recognizing and celebrating the Indigenous communities of Connecticut, New England, and beyond” (Trinity College Indigenous Studies Working Group).
In practical recognition of this land acknowledgement and to directly support Indigenous communities, there are several action steps that we can take: (selected steps from Voices of Witness).
- Remember that we are all occupying tribal land, and know whose traditional territory you live on. The map developed by Native Land Digital is a good place to start. Do research into the Indigenous peoples who historically occupied the territory, who currently does, and the history of how it was stolen.
- Support your local Indigenous community center. You can find them in Oakland, Los Angeles, Toronto, Denver, Winnipeg, Chicago, New York City, Victoria, Minneapolis and many more cities throughout North America.
- Donate money or time to Native-led programs and organizations. For example, you can support the work of the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center to end the crisis of violence against Native women, girls, and two-spirit folks. Check out the Native American Community Response Fund to support those who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
- Campaign and vote for Native candidates at all levels of government to increase representation at the local, state and national levels. Demand more of currently elected governments, too; advocate for policy and legislation that supports Native communities.
- Read books by Indigenous writers like Tommy Orange, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Lee Maracle, Terese Marie Mailhot, Vine Deloria Jr., Louise Erdrich, N. Scott Momaday, and more to learn how Native people represent themselves and their cultures, histories, and communities. Read How We Go Home: Voices from Indigenous North America and share a copy with a friend or colleague.
Please also join us in celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month by exploring this collection of books, lectures, podcasts, documentaries, visual art, digital exhibits, and museums. The collection includes books from Trinity, Wesleyan, and Connecticut College libraries. Books can be borrowed from any of the three libraries.
Guide Curators: Amanda Guzman, Cait Kennedy, Hilary Wyss, Jeff Liszka, Juliet Nebolon, Mary Mahoney, Mary McNeil, Tom Wickman, and Yoli Bergstrom-Lynch
Trinity College Library Books
Biographies & Memoirs
Poetry/Plays/Performances
History & Social Sciences
Native American Nations & Indigenous Communities in the Northeast
LGBTQ2S+ Voices
Afro-Native Studies
Social Movements
Methods in Native American and Indigenous Studies
Global Indigenous Studies
Fiction
Watkinson Library
Watkinson Materials
The rare book and manuscript materials displayed here represent just a small sample of the Watkinson Library's holdings on indigenous people and indigenous cultures. In the spirit of Indigenous Heritage Month, we have sought, wherever possible, to highlight materials produced by members of indigenous communities rather than those produced by outsiders. Needless to say, far more of the materials in Watkinson Library are the products of the settler-colonists who, wittingly or unwittingly, took part in or benefitted from the dispossession of native lands. These materials vary considerably in their forms and objectives--some are pictorial representations of significant tribal figures, others illustrate the variety of indigenous customs and practices, while still others aim at the Christianization of indigenous people through religious texts translated into their native languages. While we have decided not to include some of this material in this particular list--in order to give priority to the self-representations produced by indigenous people--they form a significant part of the source material that might inform the writing of histories of indigenous people in America. These additional materials are readily discoverable by searching Trinity's online library catalog or the Watkinson Library's archival finding aids.
The materials in this highly selective list take many forms, including printed books, manuscripts in loose and bound form, graphic and photographic arts, and even realia.
Primary Sources
Primary Sources
Primary Source Databases (Trinity College access only)
Lectures
Lectures
Stolen Treasures on Unceded Airwaves: Indigenous Radio and the Case for Community-Based Research with Museums
What is community-based research, and why should people who work for or study museums care about it? In this presentation, Emily Jean Leischner, a settler PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia, makes the case for applied research that centers community control and expertise by sharing an example of a project she is working on with the Nuxalk Radio Board of the Nuxalk First Nation, located in the central coast of what is now British Columbia, Canada.
This presentation was hosted as part of the fall 2021 course, Decentering and Re-centering History: Anthropology of Museums, taught by Professor Amanda Guzmán.
Dr. Carolyn Smith (Karuk Tribe) draws on her experience as a museum anthropologist and former tribal museum administrator to describe visions of Indigenous self-representation and healing through the creation of tribal museums and cultural centers. This presentation was hosted as part of the fall 2021 course, Decentering and Re-centering History: Anthropology of Museums, taught by Professor Amanda Guzmán.
