Inclusive Reading Club to focus on Indigenous storytelling, respect for earth
On Thursday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m. the Inclusive Reading Club (IRC) will be facilitated by Silvermoon Mars LaRose, assistant director of the Tomaquag Museum. Entitled “Keepers of the Earth: Native Stories,” the lecture will discuss how native stories can provide a platform for enhancing a deep respect for the earth.
The IRC event will be available both online and in person on the second floor of McKillop Library on Thursday, Nov. 17, from 4-5 p.m. To register for the event, go here.
Traditions of storytelling in Indigenous culture have long recounted a deep love and respect for land, culture and identity. Through this passing of knowledge to new generations in traditional ways, an underlying theme of respect for nature persists. As humans face the effects of a changing climate, and native stories are more important than ever.
Join Silvermoon Mars LaRose in exploring stories that demonstrate the value and respect for earth as seen through Indigenous culture.
Silvermoon Mars LaRose
The ICR has two readings for this month. A chapter from the book “Braiding Sweetgrass,” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and a chapter from the book “Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids,” edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith. Find the readings through the IRC’s online Padlet board.
LaRose, a member of the Narragansett Tribe, assists the executive director with managing the museum’s collections and archives, cultural education and the Indigenous Empowerment projects. LaRose has worked in tribal communities for over 20 years, serving in the areas of health and human services and education. Throughout her career, she has had the opportunity to travel extensively, learning from Indigenous communities throughout the United States.
IRC will be reading excerpts from “Braiding Sweetgrass,” a national bestselling book, as well as “Ancestor Approved,” which is featured as the cover image of this article.
LaRose is also a member of the Rhode Island Foundation’s inaugural cohort of the Equity Leadership Initiative. As a public servant, LaRose serves as the secretary for the Charlestown Conservation Commission. As an artist and educator, she hopes to foster Indigenous empowerment through education, community building, and the sharing of cultural knowledge and traditional arts.
LaRose holds a bachelor of arts in sociology, a minor in justice law and society from the University of Rhode Island, and is on her way to completing a master’s in rehabilitation counseling from Western Washington University.
To register for the IRC event, go here.
