The Indigenous people of Rhode Island were the first to call this land home. This November, in honor of Native American Heritage Month, we are sharing a list of resources, including programs, educational tools, and articles, to showcase their rich history and continuing impact on our state.

This page will continue to be updated throughout November. If you have suggestions for resources to add to this page, please email communications@rihs.org.

Programs • Community Organizations • Tools for Educators • Recorded Virtual Talks

  • Thanksgiving Retold: A Conversation With Don Strong Turtle Brown, Jr. & Richard Pickering On Wednesday, Nov. 5, join Roger Williams University for a discussion with: Don Strong Turtle Brown, Jr., Pokanoket Tribal Historian, & Richard Pickering, Deputy Executive Director & Senior Historian, Plimoth Patuxet Museums. Together, they will explore the historical origins of Thanksgiving, challenging colonial narratives, and reflecting on how public narrative shapes the holiday today. The conversation will examine national myth-making, center Indigenous histories, and consider new approaches to telling this story.

  • The Native Americans of Canonchet On Sunday, November 9th, ·1 – 3pm at the South County Museum, Archaeologist Jay Waller will lead a guided walk on Canonchet Trail and describe Native American life in this area of Narragansett.

  • Honoring Native American Heritage Month Brown University Lunch & Learn Join Brown University on November 13th, 12pm – 1pm. Dr. Mack Scott III, Assistant Professor, Ruth J. Simmons Center, historian, and member of the Narragansett Indian Tribe, will lead this program as we celebrate and elevate Native voices and research in honor of Native American Heritage Month.  

  • From Manuscripts to Museums: Sharing Indigenous Narratives On November 20th at 6pm – 8pm, Join Vanessa Lillie, author of THE BONE THIEF, and Tomaquag Museum Executive Director Lorén Spears in conversation at LitArts RI. In Vanessa Lillie’s new book, The Bone Thief, archaeologist Syd Walker investigates the mystery of a missing Indigenous woman, uncovering a long history of violence that the local community has kept buried for generations.

  • Lunch & Learn with Lorén Spears and Robert Geake A free virtual presentation with the Tomaquag Museum on Monday, November 24, 2025, 12:00 PM -1:00 PM. Throughout this series, a variety of topics will be presented to enhance understanding of Indigenous history, culture, and current events, as well as the ongoing efforts to preserve and share cultural knowledge and traditional lifeways. This year features a lineup of monthly presentations by Historians, Educators, and Indigenous knowledge keepers!

  • Complete the Circle with Sherenté Harris: Sherenté Harris, an Indigenous Two Spirit Dancer, overcame discrimination through traditional dance. Hear how they overcame this experience to go on and win first place, as well as become a youth leader and activist in both the LGBTQ+ and Narragansett communities.

  • King Philip’s War with National Park Ranger John McNiff: Called the deadliest war in American history, King Philip’s War was fought right here in southern New England. Roads, landmarks, and businesses all mirror names from this war. But what was really happening? Why, after 2 or 3 generations of Native People and English living side by side did this war come about? Retired National Park Ranger John McNiff explores how King Philip’s War unfolded, its impact in Rhode Island, and takes questions from the audience.

  • Reading Roger Williams: Rogue Puritans, Indigenous Nations, the Founding of America Book Talk: Roger Williams is best known as the founder of Rhode Island, who was banished from Massachusetts in 1636 for his dangerous thoughts on religious liberty. But the city and colony Williams helped found was deep in Native country, situated between the powerful Narragansett and Wampanoag nations. The Williams that emerges from the documents in this collection, which span his lifetime, is immersed in a dynamic world of Native politics, engaged in regional and trans-Atlantic debates and conversations about religious freedom and the separation of church and state, and situated at the crossroads of colonial outposts and powerful Native nations.