Cultural Docent, Cultural Departments

The Mohegan Tribe of Indians Of Connecticut•Montville, CT

About The Position

This position will offer Mohegan students the opportunity to learn about their history and experience culture firsthand. Each candidate will have the opportunity to select a field of study for the full eight (8) week program. The choices are as follows: Archives/Library, Archaeology, Museum, Cultural & Community Programs, and Mohegan Language. Essential Duties: 1. Archives/Library This position will offer Mohegan students the opportunity to learn about their history by working with materials in the tribe’s archival collections. Docents will learn how to safely handle, scan and catalog one-of-a-kind documents to make the content readily available for researchers. 1. Process and review new archival materials and documents 2. Assist with the proper care, conservation, and storage of different materials in our collections 3. Capture high quality images for digital preservation, access, and use with future exhibits 4. Use exacting methods in preparing materials for storage 2. Cultural & Community Programs Department This position will offer Mohegan students the opportunity to learn about their history and experience culture firsthand under the guidance of the Cultural & Community Programs staff. Throughout the program, candidates will actively engage in developing and running many activities for the department’s various summer events, including the inaugural Farmer’s Market, Cultural Week, and the Wigwam Festival. Additionally, participants will have opportunities to engage in studies and activities involving the tribal library & archives, museum, archaeology, language, and visit our historic sites over the course of the full eight-week program. 1. Develop programs and activities to implement during Cultural week 2. Participate and contribute to weekly department meetings 3. Create arts and crafts kits and packets for Youth Camp & Cultural week 4. Assist the department staff in developing and presenting programs at Youth Camp 5. Assist the department where needed with running the summer events, such as Farmer’s Market, Cultural Week and Wigwam. 6. Participate in language classes/workshops 7. Assist in out-reach/in-reach presentations 8. Create organized inventories of craft room, storage and cook shack. 9. Assist the department with ceremonies if needed. 10. Prepare oral and written presentations to both elected councils 3. Tantaquidgeon Museum This position will offer Mohegan students the opportunity to learn about their history and traditional ways by experiencing all aspects of the museum field. This position provides the opportunity to be trained in providing tours to the public, how to maintain the traditional village and garden, and how to care for the tribe’s cultural collections so they last for future generations. 1. Assist with individual and group tours at the museum and village exhibits 2. Assist with maintenance and care of village and gardens 3. Studies Mohegan artifacts, Mohegan history, and exhibits in order to assist with answering visitors’ questions 4. Cleaning exhibit areas and monitoring of artifacts 5. Research artifacts to create informational materials used in exhibits and collections records 6. Assist Museum Curator in researching and designing potential new exhibits 7. Participates in Cultural events and activities 4. Archaeology/Tribal Historic Preservation This position offers Mohegan students the opportunity to learn about their history, some of our most important and sacred sites and the importance of preserving sites for future generations. It also provides the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of archaeology field and laboratory work. Students work with the staff of the Tribal Historic Preservation and Archaeology office. 1. Assist in archaeological excavations, surveying & mapping techniques 2. Maintain paperwork of activities while conducting field work 3. Assist in the processing and analysis of cultural materials from excavations 4. Assist with research to identify all artifact classes such as stone tools and Native American pottery 5. Mohegan Language This position provides a Mohegan student experience in many aspects of a community language project; specifically Mohegan Language fluency as well as language acquisition training, small language group management, and language acquisition materials development training. The Mohegan Language Docent will also have the opportunity to access the current library of Mohegan Language material to research and develop a project. The Mohegan Language Docent will demonstrate learned skills by working with the community directly during Cultural Week and the Mohegan youth Summer Program. 1. Create language learning materials for use by community language learners 2. Accesses and researches the Mohegan Language Wordlist and Mohegan language material library 3. Researches and writes for language loss, reclamation, and second language acquisition 4. Attend weekly training with Mohegan Language Department team 5. Assist with language activities for Summer Program participants 6. Attend weekly trainings with docent cohort 7. Assist with Cultural Week projects and participants 8. Maintain a journal of summer work and work processes 9. Create a capstone project to serve community language learners 10. Provide a final visual and oral presentation to the community

Requirements

Must be at least 15 years old by May 31st and attending school (includes home-schooled students) or enrolled in college or a post-secondary program
Must be a member of the Mohegan Tribe
Must be able to commit to the eight (8) week program
Must be able to work nights and weekends as needed to support certain programs and events; schedule may vary based on each department’s specific needs
Ability to take direction, work collaboratively, and have good communication skills
Ability to work outdoors in various environmental and weather conditions for extended periods of time
Must have the ability to lift and/ or move up to 30 pounds, pushing/pulling, kneeling, climbing, crouching, and reaching.
Must have basic keyboarding and Microsoft Word skills
Ability to speak in front of small and large audiences

Responsibilities

Process and review new archival materials and documents
Assist with the proper care, conservation, and storage of different materials in our collections
Capture high quality images for digital preservation, access, and use with future exhibits
Use exacting methods in preparing materials for storage
Develop programs and activities to implement during Cultural week
Participate and contribute to weekly department meetings
Create arts and crafts kits and packets for Youth Camp & Cultural week
Assist the department staff in developing and presenting programs at Youth Camp
Assist the department where needed with running the summer events, such as Farmer’s Market, Cultural Week and Wigwam.
Participate in language classes/workshops
Assist in out-reach/in-reach presentations
Create organized inventories of craft room, storage and cook shack.
Assist the department with ceremonies if needed.
Prepare oral and written presentations to both elected councils
Assist with individual and group tours at the museum and village exhibits
Assist with maintenance and care of village and gardens
Studies Mohegan artifacts, Mohegan history, and exhibits in order to assist with answering visitors’ questions
Cleaning exhibit areas and monitoring of artifacts
Research artifacts to create informational materials used in exhibits and collections records
Assist Museum Curator in researching and designing potential new exhibits
Participates in Cultural events and activities
Assist in archaeological excavations, surveying & mapping techniques
Maintain paperwork of activities while conducting field work
Assist in the processing and analysis of cultural materials from excavations
Assist with research to identify all artifact classes such as stone tools and Native American pottery
Create language learning materials for use by community language learners
Accesses and researches the Mohegan Language Wordlist and Mohegan language material library
Researches and writes for language loss, reclamation, and second language acquisition
Attend weekly training with Mohegan Language Department team
Assist with language activities for Summer Program participants
Attend weekly trainings with docent cohort
Assist with Cultural Week projects and participants
Maintain a journal of summer work and work processes
Create a capstone project to serve community language learners
Provide a final visual and oral presentation to the community