An Act Relative to Celebrating and Teaching Native American Cultures & History (HD.1916/SD.2197)
This bill addresses the lack of Indigenous curriculum in Massachusetts public schools. Students rarely learn about the Native American history of the region or about the contemporary Indigenous peoples who live in their state, including the Massachusett, Nipmuc, Aquinnah Wampanoag, Mashpee Wampanoag, and other bands of the Wampanoag, as well as Native people in Massachusetts enrolled in tribal nations throughout the US and Canada. This bill would require the development of a curriculum in partnership with tribal nations in the Commonwealth to ensure that all children in the schools attain cultural competency in Native history, cultures and current issues.