Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A program centered on the history of the National Parks is set this coming week at a local library.

“Born in Blood: The Beginning of the National Parks” will take place at the Brighton District Library on Monday, January 26th from 6:30pm-7:30pm. Attendees can learn about “the blood and heartache that Indigenous peoples faced with the creation of the National Parks”.

The Library says the United States boasts some of the most beautiful and breathtaking landscapes imaginable – spaces that have been virtually untouched by human hands.

A release states “From the establishment of Yellowstone, the first national park, in 1872, to the most recent national park, New River Gorge, in 2020, the National Park System is in every corner of the United States. But do you know the history behind how these pristine areas became the National Park System and how their creation affected Native Americans?”

Presenter Heather Bruegl is a citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and a first-line descendent of the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe. She is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where she studies First Nations Education.

The Library says Bruegl’s research “focuses on the importance of telling the truth in history, in museums, and cultural institutions. She is also a public historian, activist, and independent consultant who works with institutions and organizations for Indigenous sovereignty and collective liberation”.

Registration for the program is ongoing. A link to do so is provided, and an event flyer is attached. People can also call 810-229-6571 for more information.