On Monday, October 3rd, Acton-Boxborough United Way welcomed Larry Spotted Crow Mann to Acton-Boxborough Regional High School as our 2022 Community Speaker.
We are grateful to Larry Spotted Crow Mann for lending his time, talent, and insight for a compelling presentation, and to ABUW board members Vivian Kobusingye Birchall and Andrew Shen for leading a dynamic Q&A, addressing a myriad of topics related to community resilience.
Acton-Boxborough United Way acknowledges that this program was held on the land of the original homelands of the Nipmuc, Massachusett, Pawtucket, and Agawam tribal nations. We honor and respect the many diverse indigenous people still connected to this land.
Larry Spotted Crow Mann is a nationally acclaimed author and citizen of the Nipmuc Tribe of Massachusetts. He is an award-winning writer, poet, cultural educator, traditional storyteller, and tribal musician centered around the intersection of cultural and environmental awareness, spirituality, and youth sobriety in the Indigenous community
Mann is co-director of the Ohketeau Cultural Center, an organization that allows for the opportunity for interdisciplinary education through cultural workshops, dance, music, and art. Ohketeau, which means a “place to grow,” was founded to provide a safe, rewarding, and enriching experience for the Indigenous community of the Nipmuc region. Previously, Mann served as a board member of the Nipmuc Cultural Preservation, an organization set up to promote the cultural, social, and spiritual needs of Nipmuc people as well as an educational resource of Native American studies. Mann also serves as a Review Committee Member for the Native American Poets Project at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology at Harvard University.
Mann is the author of three books including Drumming & Dreaming, The Mourning Road to Thanksgiving (2015 Native American WordCraft Circle of Honors winner), and internationally acclaimed, Tales from the Whispering Basket. His most recent book, Drumming & Dreaming, a spectacular collection stories of Nipmuc legends, will be featured in a state-wide curriculum across Massachusetts as part of a Life Skills Training for teachers and students focused on alcohol & drug prevention in Native American teens.
Larry travels to K-12 schools, colleges/universities, pow wows, and other organizations sharing the music, culture, and history of the Nipmuc people. Outside of Mann’s life work within Indigenous arts and culture, he has given lectures on issues ranging from Native American sovereignty and Indigenous identity to drug and alcohol prevention and eradicating health inequities for Native Americans and Indigenous communities worldwide.
This program was made possible with support from Emerson Health, and contributions from community members. Your donations to Acton-Boxborough United Way makes community events like this possible; thank you! abuw.org/donate
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