Walter Richard "Rick" West Jr. (Cheyenne and Arapaho) is currently President Emeritus of the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles. He was the founding Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, retiring from the position in 2007. He is also a Peace Chief of the Southern Cheyenne. Phoebe Mills Farris, Ph.D.
By Phoebe Farris (Powhatan-Pamunkey)
By Kisha James (Aquinnah Wampanoag and Oglala Lakota) and Mahtowin Munro (Oglala Lakota)
November 1 is the start of Native American Heritage Month and it is an excellent time to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ brilliance, resilience, and cultural and language diversity!
By Daisee Francour (Oneida, CS STAFF)
Christopher Columbus did not "discover" America because Indigenous Peoples have been on Turtle Island since time immemorial. Today and every day, let's remember and celebrate this land's First Peoples! It's time to recognize that celebrating the life of Christopher Columbus also celebrates the erasure of Indigenous existence. It is an act of violence, not solidarity. By commemorating Indigenous Peoples Day, we recognize colonization persists today and perpetuates oppression and violence against Indigenous Peoples as well as their
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.
