The Indigenous Peoples of Garrett County Collection includes resources and materials detailing the history and culture of the Indian Tribes native to Garrett County. Garrett County, and all of Maryland, historically home to a number of nomadic tribes, with experts unsure how many. However, a small group of Shawnee Indians have made Garrett County their permanent home. This collection contains images, books, and monographs on not the local Shawnee Indians, but many of the other tribes that traveled through the county or once called Maryland home.
This map highlights the geographic spheres of influence of historically erased tribes in the place now known as Maryland. To create this map, staff triangulated between primary sources, historical maps, and archaeological records in consultation with an archaeologist.
This map is part of MSAC’s award-winning Land Acknowledgement Project, developed in direct response to requests from our community. In collaboration with tribal representatives, we created a public resource to support meaningful land acknowledgements, including:
- 9 additional maps
- Tribal histories & relationships with the land
- Land acknowledgement statements
- A Project Resource Guide with key concepts & further reading
Discover more and explore the full resource library here: msac.org/resources/land-acknowledgements