Chickadee wins 2013 Scott O'Dell Award

Louise Erdrich (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) was recently awarded the 2013 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, for her latest story in the Birchbark House series, Chickadee. In 2006, The Game of Silence, her second book in the series, was recognized as the best historical fiction for young people.

            The year is now 1866 and Omakayas and Animikiins have 8-year-old twin sons – Chickadee and Makoons. Their extended family, whom we know from the previous books, is enjoying the warmer spring weather while maple sugaring. At least they are, until Chickadee is taken by Zhigaagby’s two sons in revenge for a prank he played on the old man.

            Finding strength and resourcefulness from his namesake bird, Chickadee escapes and eventually finds his uncle and his family who has been desperately tracking his kidnappers from the woods to the Great Plains. The author is working on the fifth book about Chickadee’s twin, Makoons, and we hope she continues with the stories which are based on her family’s experiences.

Reading Circle - Tracks by Louise Erdrich

“We started dying before the snow, and like snow, we continued to fall.”

If you’ve never read Louise Erdrich’s novel, Tracks, or you have read it and are eager to share your thoughts about this powerful work, now is your chance.  While you wait to get your hands on Erdrich's new novel, The Round House, enrich your reading experience and join us on Saturday, February 16th at 1:00pm. 

Beat those February doldrums by calling to register for this free event. (860) 396-6897. 

Professor Theodore Van Alst (Lakota), Director of Yale’s Native American Cultural Center, brings his insights and enthusiasm to our Reading Circle discussion. Some light refreshments follow the discussion. 

Need a copy of the book? We have some copies to lend and they are available for purchase at our Museum store.

It takes a village – to create a village!

Rendering of Pequot Village exhibit from project notebook 1993

Our 15th Anniversary Year:

The Mashantucket Museum & Research Center opened its doors in 1998. However, long before the bulldozers arrived and the steel girders went up, members of the Mashantucket Pequot community and many researchers and consultants were thinking about how to tell the story of the Pequots and other Native people of the eastern woodlands. Tribal Council minutes from 1988 reflect planning and discussion related to the museum and possible exhibits.

Tribal elders at Museum opening 1998

In the Archives, there are thousands of pages of research, design ideas, drawings, and correspondence which reveal the complex process of bringing this dream to reality. In the coming year, we will be celebrating our history and offering many opportunities for visitors to learn about how the exhibits came to be, in addition to our usual array of programs. Join us in 2013!

New arrivals at the MPMRC Research Library

History and Culture - Native peoples of the Northeast:

The Unkechaug Indians of Eastern Long Island by John Strong.

“…the most comprehensive analysis to date of Unkechaug history.” 

Chief Harry B. Wallace, Unkechaug Nation

Archaeology/Anthropology

As featured on the Smithsonian Science website:

 http://smithsonianscience.org/2012/03/ice-age-mariners-from-europe-were-the-first-people-to-reach-north-america/

 Across Atlantic Ice: The Origin of America’s Clovis Culture by leading archaeologists Bruce Bradley of the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, and Dennis Stanford of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Traditional Knowledge

Red Medicine: Traditional Indigenous Rites of Birthing and Healing by Patricia Gonzales

“Gonzales links pre-Columbian thought to contemporary healing practices by examining ancient symbols and their relation to current curative knowledges among Indigenous peoples. Red Medicine suggests that Indigenous healing systems can usefully point contemporary people back to ancestral teachings and help them reconnect to the dynamics of the natural world.”  

University of Arizona Press

The Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood

The Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood, by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, joins the small group of children’s books by Native authors about celebrating Christmas. In her story set in the early 20^th century, the author remembers how exciting it was to unpack Theast boxes of used clothing and shoes sent by church congregations in New England. She hoped that there would be a coat just her size in the boxes from “the east” which arrive on the reservation in South Dakota before Christmas. She gave up the only coat that fit her to a more needy school mate, but still loved the Christmas Eve celebration with the Nativity pageant which included the 3 Wise Men - boys wearing “headdresses that only the wise leaders and elders of the tribe could wear.”  It’s a great book, suitable to sharing throughout the year and is the 2012 American Indian Youth Literature Award winning picture book.

The Christmas Coat: Memories of My  Sioux Childhood. Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk. Holiday House, 2011.

Giving Thanks

November…American Indians…Thanksgiving Day…

Why do these terms seem to always appear together? Native people and their stories should not be relegated to only the fall season-whether in curriculum, text books, or storytimes. Not only do the original inhabitants of this land give thanks many times throughout the year, they and others have created a growing body of children’s literature which can and should be read throughout the year and across the curriculum.

To assist people in finding “excellent literature,” the Children’s Library has lists of many books written by American Indians about themselves, their histories and cultures, and their lives. These materials are important as they provide teachers, parents, and children with more accurate information about the cultures, values, and beliefs of many tribal nations and people. The books and videos present information not only about the importance of celebrations to Native communities today, but also about the depth and significance of traditional Native gatherings.

Pequot Museum Children's Library Bibliographies

Teachers, here are some books which will help you update your lesson plans about thanksgiving celebrations and encourage use of Native American materials every month of the year.

Many Thanksgivings: Teaching Thanksgiving-Including the Wampanoag Perspective. The Boston Children’s Museum, 2002.

1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving, by Catherine O’Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac (Abenaki). National Geographic Society, 2001.

Thanksgiving: A Native Perspective, by Doris Seale (Santee/Cree), Beverly Slapin and Carolyn Silverman (Cherokee/Blackfeet). Oyate, 1995.

New Hours for the Libraries and Archives

 We’re pleased to announce that the Research Library and the Children’s Library are now open 1-5 pm, Wednesday through Saturday. This change allows for researchers and others to work in the libraries until the Museum closes at 5 pm, and accommodates new staffing levels. If you would like to use the Archives & Special Collections, please call (860) 396-6807 to make an appointment for your visit. We hope the new hours provide everyone with more research opportunities and time in the libraries.