Honor Indigenous Peoples Day

Please join us for a short film presenting Lyla June, an Indigenous environmental scientist, educator, community organizer and musician. Lyla June, who is of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineage is from Taos New Mexico.  She inspires personal, collective and ecological healing through her multi-genre presentations on the topics of climate crisis, Indigenous rights, inter-cultural healing, and traditional land stewardship practices. After the short film there will be a community discussion.

Let’s honor Mother Earth by working together to clean up our town!

Please join the World of Wellesley in honoring Indigenous Peoples Day with a children and family event that will explore Indigenous culture, traditions, and history. Professional educator Claudia Fox Tree, M.Ed. (Arawak/Yurumein)​, will lead our engagement together with a presentation centered on Native American (First Nations People) identity, culture, and history. Indigenous food options and pizza will be served. Opening ceremony begins at 11:00 AM. FREE and open to the public.​

See video clips and photos from this event.

The World of Wellesley invites the community to join for this special presentation.

Annawon Weeden explains that “Wampanoag means ‘People of the First Light’ due to our geographic location as the furthest eastern tribe.” Born and raised in the tribal community of Charlestown, R.I., among relatives of both Narragansett/Pequot lineage through his father, Annawon now resides in his mother’s Wampanoag community in Mashpee. Following in his father’s footsteps, Annawon began sharing the culture of his tribes with his family during public programs and performances at a young age. As an adult, Annawon’s passion for preserving the culture has been clear throughout decades spent working at Plymouth Plantation as a museum interpreter and outreach educator, as well as the Boston Children’s Museum as a Native program specialist. He has also been invited to visit Wellesley Public Schools over 20 times.

This program is free and open to the public, made possible by Wellesley business sponsors in this year’s program book. Pre-registration is encouraged.

Please bring your family and neighbors for a walk honoring Mother Earth and clean-up around the pond. We will meet at Longfellow Pond on Oakland Street (parking lot by the pond) and decide the route together. All supplies will be available including gloves and bags.

Co-Sponsored by Sustainable Wellesley. 

Join us for a community viewing and discussion of Sheldon Wolfchild and Steven Newcomb’s film ‘The Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking the Domination Code.”

This film sheds light on how documents written during the fifteenth century influenced doctrines of “ultimate dominion” that are used against native nations to this day. The film is 60 minutes long. FREE and open to the public.

In partnership with Wellesley Free Library.

The Wellesley Board of Selectmen will hold a public forum during its regular meeting on Monday, April 29, 2019 at 7:00 pm at Town Hall to begin consideration of a request from World of Wellesley to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day.

Please make every effort to attend this public forum. The Board of Selectman have planned this first community opportunity to hear our voices in support of Indigenous Peoples Day. We need ALL of our voices to be heard, stories to be told and connections to be made. Your support is needed now and and we ask that you commit to attend and share in the support of honoring Indigenous Peoples Day in Wellesley.

Join co-author Dina Gilio-Whitaker as we discuss her book “All the Real Indians Died Off” And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans. Unpack the twenty-one most common myths and misconceptions about Native American culture and history that have misinformed generations. FREE event.