Native Heritage Month – November 

KEPTA LAND AND PEOPLES ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We acknowledge that present day Kenmore Elementary School stands on the unceded and ancestral lands of the Coast Salish people, who are still here, continuing to honor and bring light to their ancient heritage. We acknowledge that this does not take the place of authentic relationships with Indigenous communities but serves as a first step in honoring the land on which we learn and resisting the erasure of Indigenous past, present and future.

 

Definitions:

unceded– land that has never been surrendered, relinquished or handed over in any way

ancestral– lands possessed, occupied or utilized by Indigenous cultural communities since time immemorial 

Coast Salish– a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon.

Indigenous– native 

erasure– removal of all traces of something; obliteration

 

Click here for NSD’s Elementary Adapted Land and Peoples Acknowledgment.

 

In honor of Native Heritage month this November, we invite our Kenmore Community to recognize and celebrate Indigenous Peoples and culture. Let’s learn alongside each other, starting with your family conversations about Native history, the land we live on, and Native People living today.  Click here for more information from NSD on exploring Native lands, stories and art, and talking about Thanksgiving in a humanizing and culturally responsive way.  We hope families will enjoy connecting and engaging with this month’s theme throughout the year.  

Celebrate alongside our KEPTA by:

• Listen to a read-aloud featuring Native stories and authors here. 
• Rock painting activity and read along of “Snail Girl Brings Water” by Geri Keams
• Learn about the many Indiginous Tribes of Washington and visit a cultural center
• Remember Native Peoples who served in the US Armed Forces 
• Visit the Eighth Generation storefront at Pike Place Market and support Inspired Natives™not Native Inspired art. 
• Visit the Burke Museum’s Northwest Native Art exhibit (Free 1st Thursdays until 8pm), learn about their Tribal Relations, search their collection of Northwest Native art, and explore their Interactive Map of Coast Salish Art
• Learn about local artist Ty Juvinel and his art displayed here in Kenmore on our Indigenous People’s Day REJ page