Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

Members of the Piscataway tribe join hands during the launch of the Southern Maryland Heritage Area on May 25, 2023.

Piscataway Park lies on the traditional capital of the Piscataway people. This abundant place is called Moyaon, meaning "everything is here." It is the sacred center of the Piscataway homeland, which includes much of what is today called Maryland and Northern Virginia.

This Native American Heritage Month (and every month!), we encourage you to learn more about the Indigenous people and cultures where you live. Listen to Indigenous voices as they tell their stories, honor Indigenous ways of knowing, and treat the sacred lands you inhabit and visit with respect.

To get you started, check out the resources below.

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Piscataway Voices Blog Series

Sharing Cultural Connections

A Homecoming Story

The Benefit of Piscataway People to Maryland: It's Time for Reciprocity

Honoring Full Circle

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Land and River Conversations

Conservation: A Complicated Story

Reciprocity: Humans & the Environment

Interconnectedness: Heritage, Traditions, & History

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Tobacco Talks

Tobacco Talk 2021

Tuesday Tobacco Talks | Sacred Tobacco: A Native Plant

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Other Resources

Hear Us, See Us: The Importance of Native Heritage (Blog)

Maryland State Archives | MAYIS Indigenous Records

Cultural Anthropology Report: Piscataway Park Ethnographic Overview & Assessment (Report)

Spirits in the River: A Report on the Piscataway People (Report)

We Have a Story to Tell: Native Peoples of the Chesapeake Region (Guide for teachers grades 9-12)

The Discovery of Zekiah Fort (Video)

NBC4 Washington: Piscataway Members Preserve Tribe's Legacy in Maryland (Video)

Maryland Traditions 2013 ALTA Awards: Piscataway Homelands (Video)

Piscataway Indian Nation Singers & Dancers (Video)

Worldwide Voyage | May 14, 2016: Piscataway Arrival and Ceremony (Video)

Meet Naiche: A Native Boy from the Chesapeake Bay Area (Children's book)

Indians of Southern Maryland (Book)

Southern Maryland National Heritage Area: First Peoples (Link)

"We Are Still Here: First Piscataway-Led UMD Class on Indigenous Maryland History Explores Traditions, Colonization, Contemporary Issues" (Article)

Governor Moore and Lieutenant Governor Miller Host Historic State House Tribal Consultation Meeting (Article)