2024 Native American Heritage Month
Empowering Community Schools
Purpose: Share awareness and education around Indigenous Peoples of America. Racial Unity Team has decided that in lieu of hosting a public event this year, the grant funding we have received will be used towards gifting books and supplies to elementary schools to raise awareness for Indigenous Peoples Month.
Scope: Pair literacy and art together in order to not only reach the children who are engaging in the lessons, to reach further and reach the community through sharing the artwork in local libraries/ within the communities.
Ideas for your classroom
About the project
Ideas for Lesson Plans to pair with IP book gifts:
We would like to put together art kits for those who sign on to participate.
- Create a New Book Cover: As a class, look at the covers for several books you have read.
Does the cover art reflect the content and mood of the book?
Ask your students to create new / alternative cover jackets for one of the books.
Remind them that a book jacket includes:
- A clear title and author name
- A graphic design that reflects the books themes
- A summary of the plot without giving away the ending
- A review (opinion) about the book
Have students choose from the few gifted books.
- Class Mural around the themes in the books
The whole group contributes to a large piece of artwork that can be displayed at local libraries and in the school/community.
- Recreate a scene from the book and write what was meaningful about it
This pairs art and writing together.
-Could be poetry or other forms of expressive writing; could be comprehension questions that are answered.
-To help students review what they learned about the book, have them complete a character sketch or character web about the main character. This will help them develop details about the main character, so they communicate information about the character linguistically before trying to do so visually.
4. Create your own lesson plan that includes an art component
Get Involved
Elementary schools enrolled in the project:
- East Kingston Elementary School
- Stratham Memorial School
- Lincoln Street School
- Newfields Elementary School
How to get Involved. Email kelly.racialunityteam@gmail.com
Educational Resources
13 Moons Unit: Lesson Plans
These resources as made/created by Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective (INHCC).
Indigenous Peoples Day 2023
Plans - Indigenous Peoples Day Celebrations
The Racial Unity Team will be hosting the 4th annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations at Founders Park, Exeter, on Monday, October 9, from 12:30 to 3:30 PM. This event honors New Hampshire’s native peoples, past and present, and recognizes the Exeter Select Board’s decision to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. The event is free and open to the public. As it is a school holiday, the Team encourages children to attend and participate in activities that have been planned specifically for them.
The planning for the program has been a collaboration of the Racial Unity Team, Exeter Historical Society, American Independence Museum, Exeter Public Library, Wiggin Memorial Library, and several elementary and high schools in SAU 16.
The theme of this year’s program is fauna, and it will involve activities around animal life present in the region at the time when the Pennacook-Abenaki occupied the land. Adults and children will explore elements of Native American culture and customs as they visit craft tables to create corn husk dolls, oyster shell community mobiles, tortoise shell images, and birch bark etchings. They will also have an opportunity to view animal skins, artifacts, and other displays.
Pairing art and literacy, the planning team has gifted the book “Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back: A Native American Year of Moons” by Joseph Bruchac (author), Jonathan London (author), Thomas Locker (illustrator) to SAU16 elementary schools. It includes a suggested lesson plan for an art project around the turtle shell and the 13 moons. These lessons are geared for first and second grade learners. Plans also include the display of the artwork of students of all ages. Stratham Memorial School and Exeter Elementary Schools plan to participate. Other local elementary schools who wish to participate are welcomed to join. Exeter High School's DEIJ student group will assist with the children's activities hosted at this celebration.
The day's events begin with a land acknowledgment, which is a testament to the indigenous people who lived in the area prior to colonial settlement. Native American representation at the event will be Denise and Paul Pouliot who will begin the day's activities with an invitation to all attending. Denise is the Sag8moskwa (Head Female Speaker) and Paul is the Sag8mo (Head Male Speaker/Grand Chief) of the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People headquartered in Alton, NH. Also attending the event will be Christine Nih'shaw author, storyteller and educator. Christine identifies as Siksiká (Blackfeet) and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), and works to preserve and cultivate indigenous languages, culture, and stories for current and future generations. Also attending will be Kathleen Blake of Dover who is a member of the Racial Unity Team Board. Kathleen identifies as Native American with tribal heritage in the Wendat, Algonquin, and Mi'kmaq First Nations.
The event ends with a “fauna scavenger hunt” throughout the town of Exeter organized by the Exeter Public Library. Book prizes will be awarded to students who complete the hunt activity successfully.
The program is made possible because of the generosity of our sponsors: William H. Donner Foundation and Official Sponsor Kennebunk Savings. For more information, visit racialunityteam.com
2023 event video, 2022 event video
To volunteer or have you organization participate email racialunityteam1@gmail.com.
Help Our Cause
Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our operational goal of $20,000 for 2024.
Please give.
The U.S. history of Native American Boarding Schools
Written By Melissa Mejia
Native American Boarding Schools (also known as Indian Boarding Schools) were established by the U.S. government in the late 19th century as an effort to assimilate Indigenous youth into mainstream American culture through education. This era was part of the United States’ overall attempt to kill, annihilate, or assimilate Indigenous peoples and eradicate Indigenous culture The Native American assimilation era first began in 1819, when the U.S. Congress passed The Civilization Fund Act. The act encouraged American education to be provided to Indigenous societies and therefore enforced the “civilization process".
The passing of this act eventually led to the creation of the federally funded Native American Boarding Schools and initiated the beginning of the Indian Boarding School era. The duration of this era ran from 1860 until 1978. Approximately 357 boarding schools operated across 30 states during this era both on and off reservations and housed over 60,000 native children. A third of these boarding schools were operated by Christian missionaries as well as members of the federal government. These boarding schools housed several thousand children.
To learning more about the work being done by Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective on Residential Institutions click on the buttons provided below. Kathleen Blake a Racial Unity Team Board Member is a member of Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collectivitie. To read the full article about Native American Boarding Schools click on the button below.
Site Content
Residential Institutions
Indigenous Food Resources
Indigenous Food Resources
This site content share educational resources about the history and lasting impacts of residential institutions and child removal as strategies for assimilation and cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples.
Indigenous Food Resources
Indigenous Food Resources
Indigenous Food Resources
Indigenous Foods and Recipes
Have you ever wondered what kind of foods were consumed by Native Americans? While many people believe that Native Americans were exclusively hunter-gatherers, by the time of European contact many groups practiced agriculture.
Indigenous Peoples New Hampshire
Indigenous Peoples Land Acknowledgement
The Racial Unity Team recognizes N’Dakinna (n-DA-ki-na), which is the unceded traditional ancestral homeland of the Abenaki (a-BEN-a-ki), Pennacook and Wabanaki Peoples past and present. We acknowledge and honor with gratitude the land, waterways, living beings and the Aln8bak (Al-nuh-bak), the people who have stewarded N’dakinna throughout the generations.
Watch The Video
Exeter’s second annual Indigenous People's Day was held in Founders Park on Monday, October 11, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. The public was invited, including school children who had a holiday on this day.
The Racial Unity Team, in collaboration with the Exeter Historical Society, American Independence Museum, and Exeter Public Library, sponsored this event. The site of the event, on the banks of the Exeter River, features a local sculpture which depicts Founders of Exeter, including a Native American chief. The program included a land acknowledgment, a testament to the Indigenous People who populated this area prior to colonial settlement. Guests shared their stories of Native American connections. Children’s activities were hosted at craft tables under a tent. A “Water Protector” Story Walk, designed by the American Independence Museum staff, was open for exploration.
