A Celebration of Land and Sea: Modern Indigenous Cuisine in New England

The Connecticut Museum is pleased to welcome Rachel Beth Sayet, or Akitusut (She Who Reads), for an afternoon lecture and discussion on Saturday, December 9, 2023 at 2 PM. In “A Celebration of Land and Sea: Modern Indigenous Cuisine in New England,” Rachel will delve into the rich traditions and celebrations of Indigenous people in New England and how these customs have continued. Through the seasons of the year, she will discuss honoring the bounty of the harvests with multiple thanksgivings: Strawberry Thanksgiving, Green Bean Thanksgiving, Green Corn Thanksgiving; and will share with us her knowledge about traditional foods and recipes.

This program is FREE and open to the public, and will include an opportunity to sample herbal teas. To register, click here!

Rachel Beth Sayet is a member of the Mohegan nation. Raised with the spirits of her ancestors, she grew up learning traditional stories and teachings and participating in tribal events. Rachel has always been passionate about and proud of her Mohegan heritage and identity.

Rachel’s other main passion throughout her life has been food. She grew up cooking with her grandmother and mother. Rachel has a Bachelor of Science in Restaurant Management from Cornell University. During her senior year at Cornell, Rachel took an American Indian Studies course with Mohawk professor Audra Simpson, an eye-opening experience that inspired her path to teach about Native culture and history.

Rachel received her master’s degree in anthropology and museum studies from Harvard University in 2012. During that time, she worked at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology for three years and curated the exhibit, Digging Veritas: the archaeology and history of the Harvard Indian college and 17th century life. Rachel is currently working for the Five Colleges, through Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS), as the community development fellow. In this role, she provides guidance and training recommendations to campus advisors, professors, and administrators who work with Native students, while developing programming to serve Native student communities and cultivate NAIS scholars.

She is currently working on a book on indigenous foods of New England, has written at Dawnland Voices about her work: http://dawnlandvoices.org/rachel-sayet-issue-4/, and appeared recently on CT Public with Wampanoag Chef Sherry Pocknett on Seasoned: https://www.ctpublic.org/show/seasoned/2023-08-17/chefs-sherry-pocknett-and-diasporican-author-illyanna-maisonet-make-james-beard-award-history.