Teacher Resource Guide

Teacher Resource Guide

The Accokeek Foundation We are a non-profit that cares for more than 200 acres of Piscataway Park from Accokeek Creek on the north, south along the Potomac to Marshall Hall. This land is Moyaon, the traditional capital of the Piscataway Confederacy. It also includes Bryan Point, the site of a former shad hatchery in the early 20th century. As part of our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, we steward this land and seek to educate visitors about its often untold history from the perspective of all those that have lived, worked, and cared for this land.

Piscataway Language The language traditionally spoken by Piscataway people is part of a larger Algonquian language family spoken by Indigenous peoples all across the east coast of Turtle Island (North America) and further inland near the Great Lakes. Although it is not widely spoken today, tribal members are working to revitalize it! Here are a few rough translations of Piscataway words to know: Piscataway – meaning “where the waters blend," referring to the confluence of many fresh and brackish waterways in the area.

Moyaon – meaning "everything is here," pronounced "Moy-own" referring both to the great abundance of this place as well as it being the center of the entire Piscataway homeland.

Accokeek – meaning "place of wild fruit" notes an abundant area and creek

Waterways of Piscataway Land Approximately where a majority population of Piscataway people traditionally live* Major waterways Piscataway ‘capital’ of Moyaone

Pat aps co

stin aco An

Po to m ac

Do gu e

ay aw at c s Pi

ent tux Pau

Occo quan

an m wo a t t Ma Poto bac

Chesapeake Bay

Aq ui a

W ico m ico

o ic om oc Ya

Po tom ac

Chaptico

Nanjemoy

*PLEASE NOTE: This rough pink shaded region does not accurately represent all of Piscataway territory, just an approximate area where Piscataway traditionally spend most of their time.

Piscataway Land Relations Nature is Kin To the Piscataway, the two-legged (people) are part of the Land and relatives of all the other life: like the 4-legged, those that crawl, that swim, that fly, the plants, and the waters.

People are not separate from their ecosystems; they are part of it People are not better than other organisms; they are their kin (relatives, family, cousins) “Everything has a purpose. It is not our role as two-legged to determine that purpose, but to support it . . . and learn how to fit into the Land.” - Mario Harley (Piscataway)

Honorable Harvest Indigenous peoples, including the Piscataway, traditionally follow these kinds of practices (shown below) to respectfully and sustainably harvest plant and animal relatives. Tobacco, a sacred plant to Piscataway people, is traditionally offered to show gratitude.

Never take the first one Reciprocate the gift Share what you've taken Minimize harm Be grateful

Ask permission Listen for the answer Take only what you need Use everything you take

Adapted from Robin Wall Kimmerer (Potawatomi) 2014 Bioneers Presentation

Traditional Foodway Disruption Example: Manominx (Wild Rice)

Traditionally (pre-Europeans) Nutritious, filling, and abundant Manominx (wild rice) was harvested yearly by Piscataway families for uncountable generations Manominx was processed to be stored and eaten throughout the winter

1800s European colonists cleared many wetlands and pushed Piscataway people away from the shores On the mouth of the Anacostia (near Navy Yard) Wild Rice was still abundant

1980s The same stretch of the Anacostia has no wetland, no wild rice, and is generally overly developed due to colonial policies This is still true today

Accokeek Foundation Resource Documents This is a starting point for teachers who are looking to broaden their understanding of Southern Maryland. The two resource documents linked within focus on many areas of African American and Indigenous history and culture. For further information, please reach out to our librarian, Kate Hanfling, at khanfling@accokeek.org.

Indigenous History and Culture Resources

African American History and Culture Resources

SCHOOL PROGRAMS Accokeek Foundation school programs are designed using Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to make sure that all students engage in academically rigorous curriculum and learning, feel affirmed in their identities and experiences, and develop the knowledge and skills to critically engage the world and others. School programs are aligned to local education agencies’ newest standards for social studies and environmental literacy. By interweaving these subjects that are often siloed, students strengthen understanding in each discipline and grow through holistic learning.

LAND ECHOES

CULTIVATING OUR ROOTS

Listen to the Land and interconnect the stories of Piscataway farmers, African American waterman, and English fur traders. By weaving Environmental Literacy and Social Studies on this interactive experience, students will learn how our struggles on this Land echo each other.

Experience lush gardens full of culturally and historically significant plants. Students will see, touch, and smell the intersecting foodways of Indigenous, European, and African cultures in Piscataway Park. Hands-on service-learning reconnects students with the land’s gifts of food, medicine, ceremonies, fibers, crafts and dyes.

Grade 4-9

Grade 4-10

PISCATAWAY PARK: WORLDS COLLIDE This tour employs Piscataway Park as an outdoor classroom and utilizes place-based learning to educate students on the interconnectedness of humans, the environment, and each other. Students gain knowledge about pre-contact Piscataway culture and history, early colonial life, and contemporary environmental issues. The tour highlights how everything within a habitat plays a role in maintaining its health. Hands-on activities allow students to learn how human actions can have both a positive and negative impact on their environment and each other.

Grade 2-8

WILD RICE

STORYTIME

Enter a wetland ecosystem to get to know some edible native wetland plants. Learn how Indigenous relationships with plants and animals, like Wild Rice, have traditionally fed peoples of millennia, and work to restore local Wild Rice populations.

Enjoy books, songs, movement and fun that entertain and educate your littles! Hands-on experiences covering 18th century, native plants, Indigenous and African storytelling, and farm-totable while helping young children develop their early literacy skills.

Available both onsite and in classrooms.

Grade 7, PGCPS MWEE

Pre-K - 2nd

www.accokeek.org (301) 283-2113 3400 Bryan Point Rd, Accokeek, MD 20607

This publication is made possible by the generous support of The Chesapeake Bay Trust .