Native American and Indigenous Studies at Brown University

10/15/2026

10/12/2026

On Saturday, NAISI staff, Natives at Brown, and NAIS-affiliated graduate students attended NAISI’s annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day retreat!

This year, we had the privilege of visiting Aquinnah homelands. We kicked off the day with a ferry trip to the island—a first for many in our group! Upon arrival, we headed to Aquinnah Circle to take in the Gay Head Cliffs, listen to stories about Moshup, learn about the historic lighthouse, and browse the shops in the Aquinnah Circle Cultural District.

After lunch, we visited the Aquinnah Cultural Center and learned about the Edwin D. Vanderhoop Homestead, tribal history, the Tribe’s fight for federal recognition, and ongoing Wampanoag language revitalization efforts.

We wrapped up our time on the island with a visit to the Aquinnah Tribal Headquarters, followed by a quick stroll downtown before we boarded the ferry and headed back to Providence.

Our deepest thanks to Brad Lopes—Education Manager for the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribal Education Department and Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Aquinnah Cultural Center—for welcoming us to his community, generously sharing his time and knowledge, and serving as our official island tour guide! Special thanks to Ms. Carol and Ms. Joann at the Aquinnah Cultural Center for teaching us about Aquinnah Wampanoag history, culture, and survivance.

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day from NAISI! How are you celebrating? 💫

10/08/2026

Join NAISI and the John Carter Brown Library for a screening and Q&A of the Mohegan Tribe’s historical film "Up & Down the River," featuring film co-writer Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel (Vice Chair, Mohegan Council of Elders) and film actors Bruce Bozsum (Mohegan Council of Elders) and Beth Regan (Chairwoman, Mohegan Council of Elders).

"Up and Down the River" portrays Mohegan struggles and sacrifices to preserve the future of the Mohegan Tribe and the newly forming United States during these pivotal periods in both tribal and U.S. history. The film focuses on the family of Samuel Ashbow, Jr., the first Native American killed during the Revolutionary War, and features Native actors from communities across Indian Country.

Tickets are limited—register below to reserve yours! 🎟️
https://events.brown.edu/naisab/event/340967-film-screening-and-qampa-up-down-the-river

This event is free and open to the public.
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This event is part of Brown 2026. The Brown 2026 initiative builds on Brown’s long-standing commitment to open inquiry, a demonstrated willingness to engage in discussions of complex and contested issues, and a record of frank reckoning with history, which uniquely positions the institution among universities nationally to lead and conduct informed, nuanced discussions of the history and significance of the American Revolution and its legacies.

09/30/2026

Today marks Orange Shirt Day—recognized in Canada as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and in the U.S. as the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding School Survivors.

Orange Shirt Day began in Williams Lake, British Columbia, on September 30, 2013, where residential school survivor Phyllis Jack Webstad (Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation) first shared her story publicly. In 1973, 6-year-old Phyllis was taken from her family to St. Joseph’s Mission School in British Columbia. For her first day of school, she wore a new orange shirt her grandmother gifted her. Upon arrival at the residential school, all her belongings, including her new orange shirt, were confiscated and never returned.

While established in Canada, Orange Shirt Day is widely recognized across Native American communities in the U.S., where the federal government operated over 400 Indian boarding schools across 37 states and territories between 1819 and 1969.

September 30 is a day to honor Survivors, their families,and the children who never returned home. It serves as a vital reminder of the enduring impacts of the residential and boarding school systems and our shared responsibility toward truth and justice.

We encourage you to learn more about Orange Shirt Day by visiting the links below:

https://orangeshirtday.org/

https://boardingschoolhealing.org/

https://www.bia.gov/service/federal-indian-boarding-school-initiative

09/22/2026

Happy Fall Equinox! 🍂

We welcome the change in seasons with gratitude and appreciation, and look forward to the gifts the new season brings.

NAISI wishes you a day full of rest and renewal!

08/31/2026

Virtual event reminder!

Tomorrow, September 1, Linford Fisher will join JCB Director Karin Wulf for a discussion of Indigenous slavery as part of our series The Revolution Is News.

Join us at 4 p.m. EDT. Registration is open at jcblibrary.org!

08/26/2026

Huge congratulations to NAISI Assistant Director Wunneanatsu Lamb-Cason on a monumental achievement! 📚

Last week, Wunneanatsu traveled to Washington, D.C. for the 26th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival—one of the nation's premier literary events bringing together bestselling authors and thousands of readers.

Her debut picture book, "Grandmother Moon," is one of 56 youth titles from across the nation to earn a prestigious spot on the 2026 “Great Reads from Great Places” list, representing Connecticut as its official Youth title for the festival’s Roadmap to Reading.

We couldn't be prouder to see Wunneanatsu celebrated on this national stage! ✨

07/28/2026

Last week, NAISI had the privilege of attending the Tomaquag Museum's 23rd Annual Honoring and Cultural Celebration—a particularly special event for our team, as two of our own were recognized for their outstanding work.

🏆 Wunneanatsu Lamb-Cason (NAISI Assistant Director) received the Princess Red Wing Arts & Culture Award. This honor celebrates the legacy of Narragansett/Wampanoag artist, storyteller, activist, writer, knowledge keeper, and original voice of the Tomaquag Museum, Princess Red Wing, while recognizing the vital contributions of today’s culture bearers.

🏆 endawnis Spears (Swearer Center Practitioner in Residence for Tribal Engagement) was awarded the Eleanor Dove Entrepreneur Award. Honoring Eleanor Dove’s legacy as an entrepreneur and founder of Dovecrest Indian Restaurant, this award recognizes leaders who share Indigenous culture through their businesses.

Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees, and kudos to the Tomaquag Museum for hosting such a powerful celebration of culture, community, and achievement. Wunneanatsu and endawnis, we can’t thank you enough for all the work you do—both at Brown and beyond!

07/17/2026

Please join NAISI in welcoming our new Faculty Director, Dr. Lukas Rieppel!

Rieppel is a historian of science, capitalism, and museums. With a technical background in molecular evolution and ecology, his research explores how large-scale social institutions like capitalism and imperialism shape what is known about Earth and its many inhabitants.

His current research centers on the deep history of Lakotan treaty lands. In addition to documenting the role played by the Earth sciences in colonizing the Missouri watershed, he is working with collaborators in the Pine Ridge Reservation to design an exhibit that re-interprets prehistoric fossils from Lakotan treaty lands. This exhibit will focus on the lands, philosophies, and citizens of a tribal nation whose ongoing presence is central to a fuller understanding of the fossilized bones of animals currently on display all over the world, the site where they had been for millions of years, and their journey to imperial museums of natural history.

In a brief statement, Lukas told us what he’s looking forward to as Faculty Director:

“I am delighted to join the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative as interim faculty director. I especially look forward to connecting more deeply with the students, faculty, staff, and community partners who sustain this important work. As a non-Native scholar whose research focuses largely on the North American West, I am also eager to learn more about the histories and cultures of Tribal Nations in the Northeast. Above all, I am committed to supporting the Initiative and strengthening its presence across the Brown community.”

To learn more about Rieppel’s work, visit his personal website: https://sites.google.com/view/lukasrieppel/

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NAISI would also like to extend our deepest, most heartfelt thanks to Dr. Bathsheba Demuth for serving as interim Faculty Director from 2024-2026. A strong advocate and partner, her leadership and support have been invaluable to NAISI’s growth over the past two years. She will spend the next year on sabbatical and research leave. Thank you, Bathsheba!