Indigenous History of MD

• Unable to attend in person? Scroll down to watch the conversation •

Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play reminds us that celebrating Thanksgiving without understanding the violent history beneath it amounts to a second erasure of this country’s Indigenous Peoples. Maryland’s rich and complex Indigenous history encompasses many tribal nations whose names - Assateague, Piscataway, Nanticoke, and more - are all we know of them. Join us for a special Behind-the-Scenes event with E. Keith Colston, Administrative Director of the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs, to learn about the history of the land that became the State of Maryland on July 4, 1776.  The event begins with Native American activist Peter Brooks sharing the Gyun Yuk (“Words Before All Else”), a spiritually uplifting Iroquois address traditionally used to open any public gathering.

Speakers: Peter Brooks, Native American activist; Keith Colston, Administrative Director of the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs (MCIA)