Explore Indigenous Roots in Balitmore

The Baltimore Reservation Project chronicles the history and heritage of East Baltimore’s Historic American Indian “Reservation” in the 20th century.

Explore the “Reservation” Here

Portraits of East Baltimore’s “Reservation”

This is an exhibition of photographs, sourced from various archival collections, of American Indian people who were part of our community in its heyday.

With this exhibition, we hope to preserve and honor memories of Baltimore’s American Indian community as it once was by showcasing our people on the scene, in the fullness of our humanity, with our many complexities. We are not a monolith and never have been.

EXPLORE THE EXHIBITION Here  

Support Indigenous-led efforts in your area

(Credit to Equity in the Center for the first three suggestions below)

Sign Piscataway Conoy Tribe petitions on change.org

Change the name of towns/highways in Maryland from “Indian Head” et al. to “Piscataway”

Restore fishing/crabbing rights in the states of Maryland and Virginia

Support the Piscataway Conoy Tribe's push for federal recognition by contacting Senator Chris Van Hollen, Senator Ben Cardin, Congressman Steny Hoyer, Congressman Anthony Brown, and Congressman Jamie Raskin.

Donate to Through Piscataway Eyes, the 501c3 whose programs and land trust (which accepts donations of land) benefit members of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe.

Follow these organizations in Baltimore:

Baltimore American Indian Center

Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs

Native American Lifelines

Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health

Johns Hopkins Family Spirit Program

A Conversation With Native Americans on Race

Filmmakers Michèle Stephenson and Brian Young, write this about the work:

"What does it mean to be a Native American today? In our latest installment of The Times’s Conversation on Race project, we set out to include as many perspectives on native identity as possible.

And there are many perspectives indeed....While there are naturally nuances to everyone’s personal story, we saw a profound universality in their experiences. No matter who you are, if you are Native American, your opinions and experiences are marginalized to the point of invisibility in American society and culture. This project presents an opportunity to express some of the deeper debates that shape the journey shared by many Native Americans to personal liberation.

One pervasive theme that emerged was the struggle of not feeling “native enough.” There were a number of reasons for this, from imposed ideas of not having enough native blood to not having a stereotypical Indian look. But as one of our interviewees asked, What does being not native enough even mean? We are still contemplating."

Explore some reflection questions here

Nov 4 · 10am - 12pm EST. Doors at 9:30am | Recital and Evensong for Indigenous Peoples Day

Nov 9 · 3:00 - 6:00pm EST | enRIZOMAndo desde Vieques: An Afternoon Gathering for Archipelagic Histories and Futures

Nov, 14 · 2 - 3:30pm EST | Ashley Minner Jones: East Baltimore's Historic American Indian “Reservation” Walking Tour

Nov 16 · 11am - 7pm EST | Baltimore American Indian Center 48th Annual Pow Wow

Nov,18 · 6:30 - 7:30pm EST | Piscataway Nation Singers & Dancers

Dec 10 · 6pm - Dec 11 · 12am EST | Embedding First Nations Perspectives in the Primary Classroom

National Indigenous People's Day 2024 Page

Explore The 2023 Native American Heritage Month Page