Native Americans

In June, a damaged Christopher Columbus statue in Boston's North End

Pushing to End Myth of Columbus, Honor History of Indigenous Peoples

October 9, 2020

Celebrated by Italian immigrants in the United States since 1792, Columbus Day became a federal holiday in 1937 to commemorate the "arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas." The explorer’s reputation has darkened in recent years as scholars have focused more attention on the killings and other atrocities he committed against Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean.... Read more about Pushing to End Myth of Columbus, Honor History of Indigenous Peoples

Sadada Jackson, MTS '19

Curating the Future

December 16, 2019
Digging into Tozzer Library's trove of indigenous-language texts, Nipmuc tribe member Sadada Jackson, MTS '19, curated an exhibit that is in many ways a love letter to her grandmother.
HDS student Sadada Jackson. Photo by Hadley Green

Engaging with Indigenous Languages at Harvard Library

June 13, 2019
The United Nations declared 2019 the “Year of Indigenous Languages.” Inspired by this mandate and her indigenous heritage, Harvard Divinity School student Sadada Jackson embarked on a project to better capture Tozzer Library’s Indigenous North American materials in her capacity as a graduate research assistant.
margarita mora

Video: Indigenous Guardianship, Nature, and Peace

April 11, 2019

This monthly public series, convened by Dean David N. Hempton of HDS, brings together a cross-disciplinary RPP Working Group of faculty, experts, students, and alumni from across Harvard University and the local area to explore topics and cases in religions and the practice of peace. This meeting concerned indigenous guardianship and culture with intersections of nature and peace.... Read more about Video: Indigenous Guardianship, Nature, and Peace

Nainoa Thompson, President of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and a Pwo navigator, shared his views on climate change from the perspective of indigenous peoples at the Divinity School.

Putting ‘the Language of the Earth on the Agenda’

April 8, 2019
Climate change may finally be making headlines, but it is far from news. Addressing an overflow crowd at “The Land and the Waters Are Speaking: Indigenous Views on Climate Change” at Andover Hall on April 4, Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq, an Eskimo Kalaallit elder and storyteller, recalled hearing of the first warning signs back in 1963.
Nainoa Thompson

Video: The Land and the Waters are Speaking: Indigenous Views on Climate Change

April 4, 2019

The ongoing destruction of Earth’s natural systems is the result of decisions, made daily, by billions of people. These decisions are voluntary and involuntary at once, collective and personal. Two indigenous leaders—Nainoa Thompson and Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq (Uncle)—have both been identified by their communities as messengers who will guide us through climate challenges as they reflect on their traditions and spiritual practices.... Read more about Video: The Land and the Waters are Speaking: Indigenous Views on Climate Change

Sherwin bitsui

Video: The Song Within Thinking Outwardly: Navajo Thought and Poetry

March 7, 2019

In Navajo worldview, thought creates the world, which is then spoken into being. This process places sacred value on the power of language. Sherwin Bitsui’s poetry attempts to connect Diné thought to a changed world by translating the present through an encoding rooted in his culture and language. In this excerpt from his talk at Harvard Divinity School, he offered insight into how Navajo thought and language can inform a poetics, thus opening possibilities for poetry.... Read more about Video: The Song Within Thinking Outwardly: Navajo Thought and Poetry

Professor David Carrasco

Exploring Native America

October 19, 2018

PBS’s latest series, Native America, explores the world created by America’s first peoples. The four-part series, which premieres October 23, reaches back 15,000 years to reveal massive cities aligned to the stars, unique systems of science and spirituality, and over 100 million people connected by social networks spanning two continents.... Read more about Exploring Native America

Terry Tempest Williams

Terry Tempest Williams, in Thought

September 5, 2018
Writer and environmentalist Terry Tempest Williams talks about her activism, her craft, and the lessons recently learned as she begins her second year as writer in residence at Harvard Divinity School.

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