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Darlene Kascak is the Education Director at The Institute for American Indian Studies, a Traditional Native American Storyteller for the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, and a member of the Schaghticoke Women’s Traditional Council. Darlene’s experience as an educator, tour guide, museum assistant and Traditional Native American Storyteller has taught her the importance of educating both young and old about the many misconceptions and stereotypes about her ancestors. Darlene joined the task force to advise the Connecticut State Department of Education in creating the new Native American studies model curriculum for Connecticut.

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In this workshop, participants will learn how the Quinnetukut's Indigenous people interacted with and shaped their environment, keeping things in balance for over 12,000 years. Indigenous people are raised to view the world differently. At an early age, they are taught through oral traditions to respect all living things as equals with the same rights as human beings. From one generation to the next, as they learn by doing and experiencing, relationships with the land and its resources are developed and nurtured to ensure that future generations can enjoy all the gifts the land offers. Sharing this traditional knowledge in the classroom empowers the next generation of students to view things in a different way, bringing about the much-needed change we need to heal this land and our relationships with other living beings.