On Sunday, October 27, six West Newton Friends ate lunch at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art with educator and museum volunteer Sharon Mills. Sharon then led the group on a tour of the second floor to help us get acquainted with the Native Americans who inhabited the land around Indianapolis. Just before this photo was taken Sharon asked the group, "What is the difference between a Tee Pee and a Wigwam?" She brought to our attention the different cultures and crafts of the various tribes and surprised us with several stories and displays of modern Native American art.
The trip was an extension of the series of video lessons the adult class has been using to study how Quakers were engaged in relationships with the Indians. We have learned that there were many schools for Indian children started by Friends, which sounds good, except that in most of them the Native American children were not allowed to speak their language and were forced to abandon many of their cultural practices in order to conform with white Quaker norms of the time. The study will continue through November.
On November 5, during the Sunday School time, Shane Fox, treasurer and drum keeper of the Miami Nation of Indians of Indiana, will make a presentation and be available for questions. You're invited to join us!
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