The Institute for American Indian Studies is Bringing Native American Stories and History To You!

Since you can't come to the Institute for Native American Studies, so the Institute is bringing the Museum to you, virtually! Although we're not able to welcome you on-site, our staff is doing everything we can to stay connected to you and to our community. While we're closed, we're using technology to keep us together. You can keep in touch with us on Facebook, Instagram, and through updates on our website, https://www.iaismuseum.org or you can email us at general@iaismuseum.org. We will be providing stories and learning experiences for you until we can be together again.

In the spirit of enjoying our museum from home we are inviting everyone to join us Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/IAISMuseum at 2 pm for the month of March for a new video series we are calling “Inside with IAIS.” On Wednesday, March 25, at 2 p.m. there will be a lesson in archaeology with the research staff that will reveal the finer points of this fascinating discipline. On Friday, March 27, join Darlene Kascak, Native American Storyteller as she weaves a tale of how the animals as we know and love today came to be. To finish off the month of March, on the 30^th kids are invited to explore the world of nature journaling by learning how to set up a journal that will help them record all their outdoor discoveries. Two videos have already appeared and can be found https://www.facebook.com/IAISMuseum.

At the end of March on our Museum Facebook Page, we will ask a series of questions related to our live Facebook Page Video Sessions. Answer all the questions correctly and be entered into a contest to win an amazing prize!

One way you can help the Institute for American Indian Studies during this time is to become a member. Our mission is to educate and preserve Native American history and culture and we need your help to accomplish this. Please click the link here https://www.iaismuseum.org/support/membershipbenefits/and become a member today. As an IAIS Member, your benefits include Unlimited free admission to the museum, reduced or free admission for special events, discounted workshop and summer camp fees, discounts in the IAIS Museum Shop, quarterly calendar of IAIS activities and workshops, invitations to exhibit openings and special events, and your choice of one of four books as a welcoming gift.

About The Institute for American Indian StudiesLocated on 15 acres of woodland acres the Institute For American Indian Studies preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. They have the 16^th c. Algonquian Village, Award-Winning Wigwam Escape, and a museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present that allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.

WCSU Observatory to offer spring planetarium shows & sky viewings

Connecticut State University will host planetarium shows and telescope viewings of the evening sky during the spring Public Nights series from March 14 through May 16 at the WCSU Planetarium and Observatory on the university’s Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury.

Each of the six Saturday events will feature two one-hour planetarium shows, including a new presentation starting at 4 p.m. during March and April and at 5 p.m. during May. The early show has been introduced this spring to accommodate families with children and other individuals who wish to enjoy the planetarium feature without needing to stay out late.

The second planetarium show each evening, starting around sunset, will be followed by telescope viewing of the moon, Venus and prominent star systems, clusters and nebulae visible during the spring months. The WCSU Observatory, located atop a hill near Pinney Hall, offers viewings through a 20-inch, computer-controlled Ritchey-Chretien reflector telescope.

Admission is free and the public is invited; planetarium seating is limited to a maximum of 40 persons and entry will not be allowed once capacity is reached or the show has begun. Limited parking is provided adjacent to the observatory, with more extensive parking available on University Boulevard. Planetarium shows are appropriate for adults and older children and will be canceled only in the event of hazardous road conditions or severe weather that would pose a safety risk. The viewing period will not be offered on evenings when cloud cover prevents sky observations. For updates to confirm plans for a scheduled show and viewing, call (203) 837-8672 on the day of the event.

Following is the schedule of WCSU Planetarium and Observatory Public Nights, with the most prominent visible objects listed in the order of their celestial appearance during the viewing period for the evening:

·      March 14: The hourlong planetarium shows will start at 4 p.m. and at 7 p.m., with sky observation following from 8 to 10 p.m. Visible objects will include Venus, the Orion Nebula and Sirius.

·      March 28: The hourlong planetarium shows will start at 4 p.m. and at 7 p.m., with sky observation following from 8 to 10 p.m. Visible objects will include the crescent moon, Venus, the Orion Nebula, Sirius and the Beehive star cluster.

·      April 4: The hourlong planetarium shows will start at 4 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m., with sky observation following from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Visible objects will include the waxing gibbous moon, the double-star Mizar and Alcor, and the binary star Algieba.

·      April 18: The hourlong planetarium shows will start at 4 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m., with sky observation following from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Visible objects will include Algieba, the red giant variable star R Leonis, and Mizar and Alcor.

·      May 2: The hourlong planetarium shows will start at 5 p.m. and at 8 p.m., with sky observation following from 9 to 11 p.m. Visible objects will include the waxing gibbous moon, Algieba, Mizar and Alcor, the red giant variable star Y Canum Venaticorum, and the M5 star cluster.

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·      May 16: The hourlong planetarium shows will start at 5 p.m. and at 8 p.m., with sky observation following from 9 to 11 p.m. Visible objects will include Mizar and Alcor, and the M5 and M13 star clusters.

For more information, contact the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.

Weave Through History @ The Glebe House

The Glebe House Museum will continue its “Colonial Life Series” focusing on the Colonial Life of Women. This series is presented with the help of a grant received from the “Women’s Giving Circle of the Connecticut Community Foundation”. The Colonial Life Series was designed to present the “lost” arts of colonial life, in an intimate setting, at our historic site. Immerse yourself in history in these programs based on the important contributions of women during the colonial period that affected not only their immediate household but their local community and beyond.

Weaving Thru History

Saturday, March 14 @ 12:00 pm

Weaving was already an ancient art in the colonial era, but how did it evolve and what were the advancements made by the 18^th century that allowed colonial women to provide their families with linens & clothing. Join Glebe Director, LoriAnn Witte, for this presentation about the history of weaving and its effect on the production of necessities, decorative arts, and fashion.

This program will be presented in the “kitchen” of the Glebe House Museum (c.1750), immersed in colonial artifacts and history. Light refreshments will be served.

Class Fee: $20 each for members - $25 each for non-members

*Registration is Required / Limited Seating

Call 203-263-2855 or office@glebehousemuseum.org

Over & Under: The Art of Weaving

Sunday, March 22 @ 1:00 pm

Have you ever wanted to learn how to weave, but find all of the available information complicated and the supplies pricey? Then this is the workshop for you! Participants will learn how to make a simple loom and the techniques for set up and basic weaving to get started. Glebe Director, LoriAnn Witte, will share her knowledge of 25+ years of weaving in the technique and tools of the trade. Join us for this hands-workshop presented in the “kitchen” of the Glebe House Museum (c.1750), immersed in colonial artifacts and history. Light refreshments will be served.

* Please contact Museum Director for information about Materials Fee.

Class Fee: $20 each for members - $25 each for non-members

Materials Fee: Please contact the Museum Director.

Registration is required / Limited seating.

Call 203-263-2855 or office@glebehousemuseum.org

Sign up for both programs and receive a $10 discount. 

All proceeds benefit the Glebe House Museum.

For more information about these programs, please visit our website at www.glebehousemuseum.org

To register please contact the Museum Office at 203-263-2855 or by email at office@glebehousemuseum.org.

Native American Traditional Maple Sugar Festival March 14

Maple Sugaring has been a tradition in New England for centuries that heralds the first glimpse of spring. This tradition was practiced long before the colonists arrived by Native Americans, who in fact where the first people to tap the sugar maple in order to make sugar. The gathering of sap and production of maple sugar is an important event in the annual lifecycle of Native Americans. It is a time when large extended families would gather at Sugar Maple plots to share in the work of making maple sugar.

On March 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Institute for American Indian Studies on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut, there will be a maple sugaring demonstration by Jeff and Judy Kalin of Primitive Technologies. The Kalins will demonstrate several traditional techniques of collecting sap and boiling it down into sugar. This maple sugar celebration, collection and boiling down process will take place in the newly restored 16th century replicated Algonquian Village. Visitors will listen to traditional Native American stories of the ways the sap was collected and how important the seasonal gift of maple sap is to the Native American community.

"We want visitors to the Institute to understand how Native people learned to transform the sap from a tree into sugar," explains Jeff Kalin. "We will be demonstrating the traditional techniques of collecting and evaporating this sap using a variety of tools and containers. Hot stones pulled from the fire will be used to evaporate the sap from wood containers, which alone would not have been able to withstand the direct fire." Kalin will explain how water is evaporated from sap using simple techniques and items made and collected from the forest, which is key to how Native Americans made maple sugar traditionally. Visitors will also learn about the importance of how understanding seasonality and their environment, made it possible for local inhabitants to use the sap from the maple tree to provide an annual supply of sugar for their use or trade among the Native American communities and colonists.

An added sweet bonus of this event is the “made from scratch” pancakes served up with local maple sugar, coffee, and orange juice. The Maple Sugar Demonstration is noon – 3 pm., the Pancake Brunch is 11 am – 2 p.m., and children’s activities are 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 pm. The cost is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, children are $6, and members are free. The pancake breakfast is an additional $5.

About The Institute for American Indian Studies

Located on 15 acres of woodland acres the Institute For American Indian Studies preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. They have a 16^th c. Algonquian Village, Award-Winning Wigwam Escape, and a museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present that allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.