Bidwell House: Unlearning in Order to Learn

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MONTEREY, Mass. — For the 2nd presentation in the Bidwell House's summer history talk series,  Alice Nash explores local indigenous histories.

This lecture with discussion will present the concept of unlearning what we already "know" as the starting point for learning about Indigenous peoples.

According to a press release: 

Alice Nash is Associate Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She holds a PhD in History from Columbia University (1997) and an MA in American and New England Studies from Boston University (1989). Her research interests range from the impact of colonization on family and gender relations in Wabanaki history before 1800 to current topics such as the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She has published numerous articles on northeastern Native American history including three in French translation in the Quebec journal Recherches amérindiennes au Québec (RAQ). In 2003–2004, she was awarded the first Fulbright-Université de Montréal Distinguished Chair. During this year, she served on the RAQ editorial board and taught a course on the Deerfield Raid of 1704, connecting New England and New France. Her most recent publication is “Indigenous Peoples of the Americas to 1900,” published in The Routledge Handbook to the History and Society of the Americas (2019), which she co-edited with Olaf Kaltmeier, Josef Raab, Michael Stewart Foley, Stefan Rinke, and Mario Rufer. She is the recipient of four grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019) to serve as director or co-director of Teaching Native American Histories, a Summer Institute for K–12 teachers drawn from a national pool of applicants.

This lecture will be held at the Tyringham Union Church at 128 Main Rd in Tyringham. This will be an in-person lecture, with the option to also watch a livestream via Zoom. All Zoom participants will receive a link to access the lecture 1-2 days in advance. Tickets for Zoom attendance must be purchased in advance but in-person tickets can be purchased at the door. Attendees can register here: https://www.bidwellhousemuseum.org/event/unlearning-in-order-to-learn-a-conversation-about-indigenous-histories/

This program is supported in part by grants from the Otis and Sheffield Cultural Councils,  local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

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Butternut Fire Contained; Conditions Improve

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Butternut Fire is now believed to be contained after burning nearly 1,400 acres on East Mountain.
 
The Fire Department continues to urge people to stay out of the affected woods, as the chances of getting hurt are high, and not to start outdoor fires.
 
Public Information Officer Lt. Brian Mead on Saturday morning said there are still hotspots and potential for flareups.
 
"This area is very unstable. We are expecting that there are going to be tree falling, there are going to be landslides and there are going to be rocks rolling downhill," he said. "It is very steep. The area is slippery. We cannot have anybody in this area."
 
The fire had not grown as of Friday and crews have dwindled as light rain fell across the region over the past three days. On Friday, the department reported 15 crew members — down from a high of 120 — and identified the involved area as 1,388 acres.
 
Drones and a crew from Wyoming were walking the perimeter on Saturday and verifying that fire breaks cut into forest are holding, the Fire Department posted. The crew from Wyoming is a Type VI engine crew with "vast knowledge of wildfires" and will be making adjustments and improvements as needed over the next few days, the post read. 
 
The smoke through the town and surrounding areas appears to be minimal. Locations to get KN-95 or N-95 masks can be found at www.southernberkshirehealth.com or by calling Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative at 413-243-5540, Ext. 109. The Bushnell Sage Library will have masks available this weekend on Saturday from 10-2 or Sunday from 2-5. Other mask distribution sites are open during the week.
 
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