Join us for the Opening Round Dance and Reception of Offerings to the Potomac: Acknowleding Indigenous Place in Buchanan Hall Atrium Gallery!

February 24 - April 25, 2025
Buchanan Hall Atrium Gallery

Curated by Dr. Gabrielle Tayac and Public History in Action students
Co-Curated and Designed by Mason Exhibitions

In Indigenous tradition, offerings are made to honor the peoples and lands where we enter. This exhibit acknowledges the Doeg, who lived in a major village called Tauxenent (Tauj-ah-nahnt) near the place that we stand now. In the late 1600’s, the colonial Virginia militia attempted to erase the Doeg people and culture through genocide. Doeg descendants are in current Piscataway and Rappahannock tribes as well as individual family lines.

We welcome you to consider ways to honor the ancestors, join in caring for these lands, and support local Indigenous communities. This is an Indigenous place, home is here.

Public History students at George Mason University collaboratively curated this exhibit with contemporary artists and culture bearers from Indigenous communities connected to Northern Virginia to create offerings for this land’s ancestors. The exhibit is a hands-on approach to research and learning. This remembrance is certainly cause for somber reflection and at the same time, celebration of a vibrant cultural journey.

Mason Exhibitions is honored to expand the offerings to include student and alumni artwork by CJ Davis, Girasol O’Neill, Ayman Rashid, and students taking Intro to Darkroom with Stephanie Benassi in Fall 2024.