Library To Kick Off Native American Heritage Month With Storytelling And Crafts

More Native American Heritage Month Events

Native American Spirit is the first in a series of virtual events hosted by AACPL for Native American Heritage Month. On November 15, an adult-focused event, Historic St. Mary's Fort & the Native Peoples of Southern Maryland, will begin at 6:30pm. On November 17 at 6:00pm, Contact with Europeans will walk adults through the initial contact with Europeans and how it impacted the Native Americans. On November 20 at 10:30am, AACPL is partnering with the National Museum of the American Indian to present Native Games, an event about Native American games for children ages 6 through 10.

November is Native American Heritage Month, and to celebrate, the Anne Arundel County Public Library (AACPL) is hosting a series of virtual events. The first of these events, Native American Spirit, is focused on the way Native American culture embraces the natural world in traditional clothing, household needs, children's games, and storytelling.

The event will be held on November 13 from 10:30am to 11:30am and is designed for children ages 10 and under. Students will hear a story, learn to weave a basket, make a hoop and “bone” toy, and play traditional games. The event presenter, Debbie Wood, is a longtime AACPL partner who specializes in engaging and entertaining events.

“It's a very entertaining and educational program for the little ones, and I really like it,” said Eva Fernandez, the programming and outreach coordinator at AACPL. “I've been in a few of her programs. Children absolutely love it, and parents as well.”

Wood, who works as the executive director of the Chesapeake Children's Museum in Annapolis, has presented many times with AACPL.

“She is a storyteller,” said Fernandez. “She tells the stories to the little ones, preschoolers and school-aged. She uses lots of objects, she dresses up, she lets the kids experiment and play, and she does crafts with them at the end.”

Fernandez said the goal of the event is to educate children about Native American history and culture in a fun and memorable way. She is excited to see Wood engage the students in other cultures.

“We have people from all over the world and different cultures here,” said Fernandez. “We want to celebrate them as well. It's again about celebrating their cultures and their traditions.”

Since 2017, AACPL has provided cultural representation for all people in the community.

“We want our collection and our programs to reflect the community that we serve,” said AACPL’s director of marketing and communications, Christine Feldmann. “This is a perfect example of trying to do that because there's so much value, not only for people in those communities to recognize, but to educate others about the beauty and the struggles that come along with perhaps not being as well-known as others.”

Registration is required to participate in the event. To learn more, visit www.aacpl.librarycalendar.com/events/native-american-spirit.