Suitland – Wenona Gardner – Wabun Anung/Morning Star 🌟

Wenona Morning Star Gardner of the Stockbridge-Munsee band of Mohican Nation uncovering Mahican beadwork at the National Museum of American Indian Cultural Resource Center in Suitland, Maryland

As part on my Breath of Life Archival Institute of Indigenous Languages experience, I had the privilege to visit the National Museum of American Indian Cultural Resource Center (CRC) in Suitland, Maryland. The CRC, is home to the extensive collections and research programs of the museum. While at the CRC, I uncovered Mahican and Munsee baskets, bowls, mortar and pestles, as well as beadwork. As a beader myself, I am especially fond of beadwork so in this post I wanted to highlight some of the photos of my favorite Mahican beadwork that I had the chance to see.

I learned from L. Frank Manriquez that the purpose of surrounding ourselves with the original items of our people like our beadwork is because it helps with connecting to our native language. Since our old items and beadwork contain the memory of our language, if we were able to hold them you can feel that memory of our language of our people.