Weekend Workshops – Indigenous People’s Day

On October 8, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. proclaimed October 11 of that year Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The holiday has arisen in the United States in the last three decades as an alternative to Columbus Day, and was first celebrated in Berkeley, California in 1992.

On October 8, from 11:00-12:00, Wilton Historical will be offering an Indigenous Peoples’ Day workshop for kids. The morning’s activities will include a discussion of the Siwanoy Indigenous Americans of Wilton and Norwalk and coastal Long Island Sound, followed by a wampum-inspired beading activity, and a basket-making craft.

A traditional spice cake will be served as an acknowledgment of the formerly celebrated Columbus Day, and the significance of Christopher Columbus in the colonial spice trade. The event promises to be a festive and timely way to learn about the Indigenous peoples who called Wilton home for thousands of years.