Dear Mayor Bowser,
Have you had an opportunity to attend a public meeting in Melbourne, Australia? As you may know, in Melbourne, each public meeting begins with mention of the indigenous people who originally occupied the land around the city.
In Washington, DC, historic maps (see above) suggest that the dominant tribe that gave a derivative form of it's name to the Anacostia River, the Nacotchtank, had villages not far from the Capitol Building.
To the best of my knowledge, currently there is no public display that acknowledges the past existence of those villages.
Michelle Obama recently called attention to the forgotten history of black Americans in the building to this city. We would also do well to acknowledge the first peoples who lived here. The placement of a Native Village marker on Capitol Hill would be educational for local residents and visitors as well as provide evidence that we, as a city, acknowledge the Native people who enjoyed this land before us.
I have set up a blog to offer information this topic. My recent email to Kevin Gover, the Director of the National Museum of the American Indian, is also posted there. I also plan to send Congresswoman Norton information on this matter.
Please contact me if you or your staff would like more documentation - the Library of Congress has been a rich and readily available resource - and if you would like to discuss this matter in more detail.
Sincerely yours,
Armand
Have you had an opportunity to attend a public meeting in Melbourne, Australia? As you may know, in Melbourne, each public meeting begins with mention of the indigenous people who originally occupied the land around the city.
In Washington, DC, historic maps (see above) suggest that the dominant tribe that gave a derivative form of it's name to the Anacostia River, the Nacotchtank, had villages not far from the Capitol Building.
To the best of my knowledge, currently there is no public display that acknowledges the past existence of those villages.
Michelle Obama recently called attention to the forgotten history of black Americans in the building to this city. We would also do well to acknowledge the first peoples who lived here. The placement of a Native Village marker on Capitol Hill would be educational for local residents and visitors as well as provide evidence that we, as a city, acknowledge the Native people who enjoyed this land before us.
I have set up a blog to offer information this topic. My recent email to Kevin Gover, the Director of the National Museum of the American Indian, is also posted there. I also plan to send Congresswoman Norton information on this matter.
Please contact me if you or your staff would like more documentation - the Library of Congress has been a rich and readily available resource - and if you would like to discuss this matter in more detail.
Sincerely yours,
Armand
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