On Indigenous People’s Day we want to take a moment to honor the perseverance and courage of Indigenous peoples and show our gratitude for the myriad contributions they have made to our world; we also want to acknowledge the ancestral grounds on which Beaver Country Day School was built and continues to exist.
Thank you to the past and present work of the Beaver Environmental Action Team for their research and writing of the following, and for including links to resources for more information.
Beaver stands on the land belonging to the Massachusett People, land stolen by European settlers, and the village that existed in Newton was called Nonantum. The Massachusett People were decimated by a plague in 1617 that killed nearly 80 percent of the indigenous population, and a smallpox epidemic in 1633 wiped out most remaining members of the tribe; these diseases were brought by European intruders. Read the full history of the land the Beaver campus is on here.
We pay our respect to elders, past and present. Descendants of the Massachusett People now consider themselves as the Neponset and Ponkapoag people, and they still exist today.
We recognize acknowledgment is not enough. It is our responsibility as an institution to commit to actively decolonizing our classrooms, curriculum, and preconceived notions of Native Americans. This is a commitment we, as an institution, take seriously.
We encourage you all to consider our placement and contribution to the legacies of violence, genocide, and colonialism that bring us together on the grounds of this institution.
RELATED LINKS
TWO HISTORIES, INTERTWINED
A detailed history of European and indigenous interaction from pre-contact to present day. Crafted by past Beaver faculty member Peter Gow.
THE MASSACHUSETT TRIBE AT PONKAPOAG
Tribe’s official website
MA INDIGENOUS LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
- Includes legislative action items and movements that benefit indigenous peoples
- 5 priorities: Remove Racist Mascots, Honor Indigenous People’s Day, Celebrate and Teach Native American Culture & History, Protect Native American Heritage, and Support the Education and Futures of Native Youth.
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