Danbury Library Celebrates Native American Heritage Month

**News Release Submitted by Danbury Library**

Oct. 29, 2024

This November, join Danbury Library in observing National Native American Heritage Month where the cultures, traditions, languages, and stories of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities will be accentuated through curated book lists, digital media, and educational programming for all ages.

Patrons can discover notable authors and borrow recommended titles for children and adults. Throughout the month patrons can access special collections of films, television, music, and books on Kanopy, Hoopla, and Libby, all free with a Danbury Library card. Library programs for children and families include Celebrate Cherokee Heritage: Create Your Own Dream Catcher, Iroquois Confederacy Wampum Belt Beading, and Corn Husk Doll Making.

Adults are invited to tune into two virtual author talks: A Navajo Investigator’s Search for the Unexplained: In Conversation with Stanley Milford, Jr. and Native Rights and Culture in Fiction: A Conversation with Mona Susan Power. Patrons of all ages are welcome to attend two in-person events: Indigenous Music in North America: A Participatory Introduction with Craig Harris and “A Storied Tradition” with the Institute for American Indian Studies lead by Darlene Kascak of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation.

All events and activities are free, open to the public, and take place either at the Danbury Library located at 170 Main Street or online. Visit danburylibrary.org/NAHM to find more information and to register for programs.

Danbury Library acknowledges that the library building sits on the ancestral land of the Pequonnock, Schaghticoke, Paugussett, and Wappinger Peoples. The Connecticut Department of Education recognizes five Eastern Woodland Tribes: Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, Golden Hill Paugussett Tribal Nation, Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Tribal Nation, Mohegan Tribe, and the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation. Representatives from each of these tribes contribute to K-12 curriculum development in the state so that students receive an accurate, culturally competent understanding of Native American life, history, and future on lands in and around Connecticut.

To support such learning for both students and adults, the library has compiled a list of online educational resources for personal research or classroom lesson support. From here, patrons can explore the Native Northeast Research Collaborative, Library of Congress archives and records, Institute for American Indian Studies, and Mashantucket Pequot Museum. Teachers in particular will find a helpful collection of lesson plans, primary resources, webinars, and more through the National Museum of the American Indian from the Smithsonian for use in their own classrooms.

As an essential city asset, the Danbury Library is committed to being a welcoming destination, responsive to the needs of our city’s diverse community, and a source of inspiration through words and ideas.