To Bridge Heritage and Science, the Smithsonian’s Inclusive Education Programs Empower Learners Through Culture and Community

The rhythmic sound of fingers brushing against beach rye grass filled the room, punctuated by quiet laughter and the occasional gasp of discovery. Alaska Native Elders leaned over young hands, guiding them through the delicate weaving of taperrnat grass into tegumiat, traditional Yup’ik dance fans. For some learners, this moment was more than a workshop – it was a reconnection to centuries of cultural wisdom and heritage. 

“It was one of the things on my wish list to give back to my community and learn how to make dance fans,” said Yup’ik community member Stevi Anagsan. “I’m really excited about how the journey of putting our culture and community back together is looking.” Around her, the workshop buzzed with shared stories, intergenerational wisdom and the joyful resilience of a tradition revived.

Weaving workshops are just one piece of the Smithsonian project, “A Community-Based Approach to Culturally Responsive Science Education.” Funded by Smithsonian Education’s “Together We Thrive” grant, the project collaborates with communities in Alaska and Washington, D.C. to promote culturally responsive approaches to education and learning.  

Educators and researchers from the National Museum of Natural History, the Arctic Studies Center and the National Zoo and Conservation and Biology Institute have spent the last year working with communities to develop K-12 educational experiences and resources that improve the representation of cultural connections and histories in science curriculums. By leveraging Smithsonian resources, the project aims to encourage achievement, well-being and a sense of belonging for students who have traditionally been marginalized within their educational systems.  

“Throughout the United States, we see strength and resilience in communities working to overcome systemic barriers in education,” said project lead and NMNH educator Maggy Benson. “To promote equitable access to learning both in classrooms and within the Smithsonian, we must create opportunities to learn, collaborate and co-produce resources with communities.” 

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month this November, Smithsonian Voices took a closer look at how NMNH is using its unique collections, intellectual resources and expertise to support an inclusive environment for every student. 

Woven Together: Taperrnat Research and Art

For thousands of years, Native communities throughout Alaska have been passing cherished traditions and unique skillsets from generation to generation, keeping their cultural heritage alive. But as modern education and schools have replaced the teachings of local knowledge-keepers, many of these traditions have faded into distant memories.  

As Arctic Studies Center Museum Specialist Dawn Biddison built relationships with Alaska Native members of the Yup’ik, Dena’ina and Sugpiaq communities, she witnessed their profound desire to revitalize these cultural practices before it was too late. When Biddison and her colleagues learned about the customary art of weaving beach wildrye grass (taperrnat) into traditional dance fans (tegumiat) and grass mats (alqin), they immediately recognized an opportunity for collaboration. 

“Our colleagues at the Arctic Studies Center have been working with Alaska Native communities for decades,” Benson said. “This was an exciting opportunity for us to come together and learn how museums can create more authentic and mutually beneficial relationships with communities that promote learning.” 

During a series of field research outings, Smithsonian scientists and Alaskan community members were able to observe, document and take samples of taperrnaq (Yugtun), tl’egh (Dena’ina Qenaga) and tapernaq (Sugt'stun) beach wildrye grasses. They collected specimens for the Smithsonian’s U.S. National Herbarium, and added context to the samples by recording information about the communities where they were harvested.  The grasses will now be available for researchers from around the world to study and analyze for generations to come.  

In March, the Smithsonian project team hosted their first of three weaving workshops in Anchorage, a four-day event that convened Alaska Native knowledge-keepers to teach students the art of weaving local beach wildrye into Yup’ik-style dance fans.

“The first day was the hardest and the most sore my fingers were during the entirety of it. It was also the most nervous I was. I think a lot of it, being a Native person, is like ‘I don’t know these things.’ And there’s a little bit of shame, and I think apprehension,” said Yup’ik workshop learner Emily Brockman. “But then as you start to make your second one, the joy and the excitement of, ‘Oh, I’m starting to know the medium,’ is so rewarding.” 

The Arctic Studies Center also coordinated a time during the workshop to share examples of woven Yup’ik cultural belongings held in the Anchorage Museum with the participants. The Native community members were thrilled to see woven pieces made by their own ancestors represented, strengthening their connections to the Smithsonian’s collections. 

Now, Biddison and her team members are developing teaching resources for K-12 students, utilizing knowledge they gathered from the harvesting and weaving workshops. Using instructional weaving videos, knowledge-keeper interviews and Smithsonian collections, they will create materials that integrate Alaska Native heritage into formal education curriculums for classrooms all over the country. 

“Alaska Native culture is extremely important to bring into the formal education curriculum,” Benson said. “Even if you're not Yup’ik and you're learning about Yup’ik tradition, it shows how much value there is in other traditions and cultures.” 

Building Equity: A Professional Learning Community for Culturally Responsive Science Education 

Among the vibrant urban landscape in the heart of Washington, D.C., a group of public high school teachers have been hard at work. Over the last few months, they have been collaborating with Smithsonian educators to reshape how students experience science.  

“After months of learning from community stakeholders, we learned that D.C. teachers needed access to more experience-based education opportunities for their students,” Benson said. “A goal for this project is to provide teachers with resources so they can emphasize community expertise and stories in the classroom, showing students that their own lived experiences are valid and worthy of learning.” 

The D.C. project features an eight-month professional learning program, bringing public high school teachers and museum educators together to explore how the Smithsonian’s resources can support culturally responsive teaching. The professional learning community will ultimately co-produce a framework to help other educators design instructional experiences that prioritize equity, belonging and student well-being. 

Teachers from the four participating high schools have also been working in their own classrooms to develop student-led projects on environmental science, conservation and environmental justice topics. The projects will allow students to interact with local biodiversity and explore how greater access to green spaces in D.C. could benefit their own communities.  

Anacostia High School teachers Christopher Newman and Dr. Deborah Lyons have been working with 11th and 12th grade students to transform an unused school courtyard into a thriving green space designed to attract pollinators and local bird species. Through this project, they are examining how disparities in green space quality effect biodiversity and environmental justice in urban areas. As they bring this space to life, students are also documenting their own journeys to share their perspectives and experiences. 

“Cultural responsivity is essential because it ensures that students see their experiences, communities and identities reflected in their learning,” Newman said. “By connecting lessons to real-world issues in their neighborhood and community, we can foster a sense of ownership, relevance and empowerment, making education a tool for advocacy and equitable change.”

For Smithsonian educators, the Alaksa and D.C. projects are connected by the shared goal of utilizing the institution’s resources to build equity in both public education settings and learning environments like museums and zoos. In D.C., Smithsonian’s National Zoo invited students to visit their recently renovated bird house. According to Newman, the visit inspired his students to think critically about how they could design their own green spaces to attract and support local bird species, turning their observations into concrete ideas for the project. 

“I hope this experience empowers my students to see themselves as advocates for change,” Newman said. “The most rewarding part has been seeing their excitement and pride grow as they connect their work to the larger community and begin to realize the impact they can make.” 

Related Stories 
Community Archeology Helps Bridge Gap Between Science and Tradition 
How Arctic Anthropologists are Expanding Narratives about the North 
Meet the Smithsonian Fellow Alumni Helping to Save the Planet 
Get to Know the Scientist Behind the Smithsonian’s 140,000 Grass-Like Sedges 

Emma Saaty | READ MORE

Emma Saaty is a Science Communications Specialist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.  She brings science to the public by covering natural history research for Smithsonian Magazine's, Smithsonian Voices.  Additionally, she tracks media coverage and coordinates filming activities for the museum’s Office of Communications and Public Affairs.  Emma recently completed her Bachelor of Science in Biological Anthropology with a minor in Journalism at George Washington University where she conducted research on Virunga mountain gorillas with GW’s Life History and Skeletal Biology laboratory.  You can find her here.