November is National Native American Heritage Month. The Curiosity Desk’s Edgar B Herwick III is joined by award-winning filmmaker Katsitsionni Fox and President of the North American Indian Center of Boston (NAICOB), Jean-Luc Pierite. NAICOB is the only urban Indian center in Massachusetts that has provided cultural, social, educational and professional services to the New England Native American community for over 50 years. Learn more about Indigenous culture and linguistics with Edgar, Katsitsionni and Jean-Luc.
Jean-Luc works to empower the Native American community with the goal of improving the quality of life of Indigenous peoples through the NAICOB. Prior to his election to the NAICOB Board of Directors, Jean-Luc was elected to the Community Linguist seat of the Advisory Circle for CoLang for the period 2016-20. The Institute on Collaborative Language Research or "CoLang" is designed to provide an opportunity for community language activists and linguists to receive training in community-based language documentation and revitalization. Jean-Luc is a member of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana.
Katsitsionni is a member of the Bear Clan of the Akwesasne Mohawk nation. She is a filmmaker, artist and educator whose work draws inspiration from Haudenosaunee culture and history while investigating contemporary social and environmental issues. Her award-winning film debut Ohero:kon - Under the Husk a followed the journey of two Mohawk girls as they take part in their traditional rites of passage to become Mohawk women. This documentary was broadcast on PBS. She then directed and co-produced a short -doc series for Rematriation - a Native American women's online, multimedia magazine. It focuses on healing and empowerment of Native women through the sharing of their stories and successes. Her most recent film is Without a Whisper- Konnón:kwe the untold story of how Indigenous women influenced the early suffragists in their fight for freedom and equality.