Reclaiming Land and Language: Rivers Educates and Engages During Native American Heritage Month

In all-school programming on November 17, History Department Chair Ben Leeming P’17, ’19, ’21, ’23 led an assembly exploring the concept of language as a central part of culture—and, in particular, Indigenous cultures. As an exercise, Leeming challenged assembly attendees to communicate with a neighbor for twenty seconds in a second language. 

“Now, I want you to imagine what it might be like if, over the span of your time here at Rivers, your native language gradually ceased to be spoken,” said Leeming. “Over the course of just a few years, all of your daily interactions—in the classroom, on the field, with friends—all of them shifted over to your second language. Beyond just the inconvenience and frustration of navigating this radically altered world, try to think of what else would be lost. Consider that most of the things you value most in life are grounded in your mother tongue: your relationships, your music, your favorite TV shows, your family holiday traditions—all of them would be radically transformed, and some of them lost forever.”

Leeming explained that the experiment had the aim of helping the community better understand what Native peoples have experienced, many of whom lost their languages as a result of colonization. Showing a map of the North American continent, Leeming explained that at the time of first contact with Europe, North America’s Indigenous peoples spoke somewhere between 500 and 700 distinct languages. “Today, linguists estimate that perhaps as many as 400 of these have gone extinct, and in the United States alone, 98% of the Indigenous languages still spoken are classified as endangered,” he said.

Leeming took a moment to share more about the history of the Wampanoag people and their language. The Wampanoag of southeastern Massachusetts are the Native Americans who first greeted the Pilgrims, and they were also the first Native Americans to adopt the alphabetic writing system of the English colonists. At this time, Native people did a lot of writing in their Native language. For the Wampanoag language, which had long been considered extinct, with the last native speaker dying 150 years ago, such historic documents have enabled linguists such as Mashpee Wampanoag tribe member Jessie Little Doe Baird to revive the Wampanoag language. That story and her personal journey are told in the short documentary film Âs Nutayuneân: We Still Live Here, which will be screened at Rivers on December 11 as part of the programming for Native American Heritage Month. Attendees watched a short clip from the film during Monday’s assembly.

In addition to the all-school assembly on Monday, Middle School advisories engaged in an activity on Wednesday about Wampanoag farming practices and the “Three Sisters” technique, in which corn, beans, and squash are planted together and give and share resources in a reciprocal relationship. Faculty member and DEI Coordinator Ellie Strayer introduced the activity during the Middle School division meeting on Wednesday, and reminded those present that there are many Indigenous communities who still exist in our region, and consider the Three Sisters farming practice as sacred. 

During advisories, students went around in a  circle and each shared a special gift they either gave or received. Then, using candy as building blocks (Rice Krispies, Twizzlers, graham crackers, Smarties…), they constructed a “garden” mirroring the reciprocal relationship that the Three Sisters crops have. The corn grows tall and is a support for the bean stalks and receives rich nitrogen from the soil. The squash protects the soil so it stays cool and wet and resists weeds, and it receives nutrients from the other sisters. The beans pull nitrogen from the air into the soil, giving to the other sisters, and they receive support from the corn, and moisture and shade from the squash. 

Strayer underscored the importance of the tradition in the morning meeting. “Many Indigenous nations across Turtle Island [a Native term for the North American continent]—including and notably the Wampanoag in the Northeast—have passed down this knowledge for hundreds and hundreds of years,” she said.

In learning about these practices, the Rivers community remains connected to the history of the land many of us know by different names. The activities, and Jessie Little Doe’s story, also tie into the equity and engagement theme of the year, “Courageous voices, global impact: leading with integrity for a just world.” 

In the clip played for the assembly, there is a moment where Baird’s daughter, three years old at the time, is speaking the Wampanoag language—making her the first native speaker in seven generations. It’s a powerful moment—and for those reclaiming their Native language, a symbolic moment for coming into their inheritance on their own land.

“No one leaves a documentary as an expert, but we can leave as better listeners and critical thinkers,” said Strayer. She challenged the community to ponder a question as we continue to move through Native American Heritage Month: “What does our responsibility as citizens and learners look like to keep this conversation alive? What do you think reconciliation practices can look like?”

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Rivers will screen the documentary Âs Nutayuneân: We Still Live Here, by Anne Makepeace, on Thursday, December 11, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the library.