‘Sacred Geography': Native Americans and civil rights in New York

Garrison — The Desmond Fish Library in Garrison will hold its annual Martin Luther King adult program, “Bringing the Bream Home: Civil Rights and the Hudson Valley,” on Sunday, Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m. This year, the program will be exploring the vibrant, but little known, Native American communities in our midst — some visible, some underground — with their ancient understanding of our local landscape, their rich heritage, including Algonquin teachings about tolerance and peacemaking, which influenced Thoreau and Martin Luther King; the African and Dutch bloodlines some of them share with other residents here; and the civil rights issues they continue to face today. Join Evan Prichard, an Algonquin (Micmac) descendant, who is a Marist College professor and author of many books including “Native New Yorkers: The Legacy of the Algonquin People of New York,” and representatives of contemporary Native American communities in the area, for a potluck supper and speaker’s program guaranteed to change the way you perceive New York and the Hudson Valley. Bringing food to share is welcome and optional. The event is free and supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Also, the library will hold its annual civil rights program for children on Monday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m., featuring the stories and songs of Native American communities in the Hudson Valley, with Rainbow Weaver, a Mohawk (Kanienkehaka) “wise woman” and local storyteller Jonathan Kruk. The children’s event is free and supported by a grant from the Friends of the Desmond Fish Library. For information on either program or rides from the Garrison Metro North train station, call 845-424-3020 or visit www.dfl.highlands.org.