Outdoor Voices Speaker Series

Our Outdoor Voices Speaker Series features environmentalists who share stories about their unique experiences in nature. 

These programs are open to the public, free of charge.

Nashobah Praying Indians: A Living People, A Living Landscape, September 17

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Strong Bear Medicine and Raven

Join Sagamore Strong Bear Medicine of the Nashobah Praying Indians and local historian Daniel V. Boudillion as they discuss the Nashobah people, their spirit, their journey of suffering and survival, the village, and the sacred landscape that is all around us.

Tuesday, September 17
7:00 p.m.

Church of the Good Shepherd
164 Newtown Road
Acton, MA  
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We live and walk on sacred ground. Littleton, with parts of Acton and Boxborough, was originally the 1654 era Praying Indian Village of Nashobah, a place of spirit and vision. It has been more than 280 years since Wunnuhhew (Sarah Doublet), the last of the Nashobah Praying Indians that lived in Nashobah, passed away in Acton and the Plantation was lost. Please welcome Sagamore Strong Bear Medicine as he tells her story and the story of all the Nashobah Praying Indians.

Strong Bear Medicine is Sagamore of the Nashobah Praying Indians, and brother of Chief Caring Hands of the Nashobah-Natick-Punkapoag Praying Indians of the Massachusett tribe. He is also the founder of the Friends of the Nashobah Praying Indians. A noted Native performer in the United States and in Europe, Strong Bear Medicine is a Native dancer, singer, craftsman, and a public speaker. 

Daniel V. Boudillion is an avid historian and author with a wide knowledge of early Nashobah history and the locations associated with them. He currently serves on the boards of the Littleton Historical Society, Littleton Conservation Trust, and Friends of Pine Hawk. He has also recently published The History of the Nashobah Praying Indians, which will be available for sale at the event.

 
Past Programs

Amara Ifeji, Grassroots Environmental Justice Advocate
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Amara Ifeji, Outdoor Voices

Thank you to SudburyTV for providing the recording of this program.

On Saturday, August 24, 2024, SVT and POCIE (Professionals of Color in the Environment) hosted an inspiring talk by Amarachukwu Ifeji, which centered on historically marginalized voices in environmental, climate, and conservation movements. 

Amara, who is the Director of Policy at the Maine Environmental Education Association, shared her personal experiences with environmental exclusion and discuss how she has worked to combat these injustices through environmental education. She also explored the history of the conservation movement in the United States, which has traditionally excluded people of color from outdoor spaces, and she highlighted the critical importance of centering historically marginalized voices in conservation movements.

The presentation included a Q&A moderated by Nia Keith of POCIE, a statewide community that strives to dismantle barriers and advance racial equity by fostering joy, community, courage, empowerment, and authenticity within the environmental field.