Connecticut Travel

March is a month of transition between winter and spring. It is also the time when maple trees produce sap that can be boiled down to make maple sugar. Native American communities called the full moon in March the worm moon because this was the time when worms came out of the ground and robins started to reappear. Another name for the moon in March is the Sap Moon because this is when the sap from maple trees begins to flow.

There is an Iroquois folktale that explains that Native Americans initially observed a red squirrel cutting into the tree bark with its teeth and later returning to lick the sap. An Iroquois youth observed this behavior and decided to use his knife to cut into the bark of a tree…thus discovering the maple tree’s sweet secret. ​

In a study in the 1990s, scientists observed red squirrels making chisel-like grooves in the bark of a maple tree. After making the grooves in the tree, the squirrels left the tree! They returned to the tree about 24 hours later and licked up the sap that remained on the tree. By this time the water in the sap had evaporated leaving behind a high concentration of maple sugar!

Don’t miss the Maple Sugar Festival at the Insititute for American Indian Studies on March 14 from 11 am – 3 pm. The Institute is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington CT.

About The Institute for American Indian Studies

Located on 15 acres of woodland acres the Institute For American Indian Studies preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. They have the 16th c. Algonquian Village, Award-Winning Wigwam Escape, and a museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present that allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.

The Glebe House Museum will continue its “Colonial Life Series” focusing on the Colonial Life of Women. This series is presented with the help of a grant received from the “Women’s Giving Circle of the Connecticut Community Foundation”. The Colonial Life Series was designed to present the “lost” arts of colonial life, in an intimate setting, at our historic site. Immerse yourself in history in these programs based on the important contributions of women during the colonial period that affected not only their immediate household but their local community and beyond.

Weaving Thru History
Saturday, March 14 @ 12:00 pm

Weaving was already an ancient art in the colonial era, but how did it evolve and what were the advancements made by the 18th century that allowed colonial women to provide their families with linens & clothing. Join Glebe Director, LoriAnn Witte, for this presentation about the history of weaving and its effect on the production of necessities, decorative arts and fashion.
This program will be presented in the “kitchen” of the Glebe House Museum (c.1750), immersed in colonial artifacts and history. Light refreshments will be served.

Class Fee: $20 each for members – $25 each for non-members
*Registration is Required / Limited Seating
Call 203-263-2855 or office@glebehousemuseum.org

Over & Under: The Art of Weaving
Sunday, March 22 @ 1:00 pm

Have you ever wanted to learn how to weave, but find all of the available information complicated and the supplies pricey? Then this is the workshop for you! Participants will learn how to make a simple loom and the techniques for set up and basic weaving to get started. Glebe Director, LoriAnn Witte, will share her knowledge of 25+ years of weaving in technique and tools of the trade. Join us for this hands-on workshop presented in the “kitchen” of the Glebe House Museum (c.1750), immersed in colonial artifacts and history. Light refreshments will be served.
* Please contact Museum Director for information about Materials Fee.

Class Fee: $20 each for members – $25 each for non-members
Materials Fee: Please contact Museum Director.

Registration is required / Limited seating.
Call 203-263-2855 or office@glebehousemuseum.org

Sign up for both programs and receive a $10 discount.
All proceeds benefit the Glebe House Museum.

For more information about these programs, please visit our website at www.glebehousemuseum.org
To register please contact the Museum Office at 203-263-2855 or by email at office@glebehousemuseum.org.

On Saturday, February 22, the Institute of American Indian Studies is hosting a culturally important program on research and sharing in regard to Indigenous People called Etuaptmumk- Two-Eyed Seeing. Etuaptmumk is a Mi’kmaw saying that translates to “Two-Eyed Seeing.” This concept refers to learning how to see from one eye the strengths of Indigenous knowledge and from the other eye the strengths of Western knowledge. The idea of “Two-Eyed Seeing” has been developed by Albert Marshall, an environmental voice and culture keeper for Eskasoni First Nation in Cape Breton.

Join the IAIS Education Coordinator and Traditional Storyteller Darlene Kascak, Schaghticoke Tribal Nation along with IAIS Educator and Ecologist Susan Scherf for an interactive presentation and discussion that examines how people can include Etuaptmumk or “Two-Eyed Seeing” concept in their daily lives. This method of thought and research is a way for Native and Non-Native people to understand one another and to collaborate. Community engagement between the two groups is of paramount importance and leads to authenticity.

This fascinating program strives to share research paradigms and approaches that align with Indigenous worldviews. A trend in the academic world, that many scholars are using Marshall’s Two-Eyed Seeing as a framework to understand and use western methods and theory with indigenous knowledge. When Indigenous people become part of the research rather than those being researched, the results of this research and understanding will be transformed. Questions will be framed differently and priorities will change.

The Etuaptmumk- Two-Eyed Seeing program takes place at 1:30 p.m. on February 22 and is included in the price of admission that is $10 adults, $8 seniors, and $6 children.