Up-and-comers? Add this museum manager to the list.
Nakai Clearwater Northup named one of Connecticut Magazine’s 40 Under 40
Good husband that he is, Nakai Clearwater Northup responded at top speed in January when his pregnant wife had a craving for one of her favorite dishes — her husband’s fish tacos. Northup, 29, dashed to the nearest Stop ‘n’ Shop for the requisite ingredients.
Ordinarily in such a situation, he wouldn’t have been waylaid by one of those impulse-buy racks featuring tabloid publications about a Kardashian fashion faux pas or whether Harry and William will ever be friends again. But the latest issue of Connecticut Magazine caught his eye. After all, Northup had been contacted by the publication in December with the news he’d been named as one of their “40 Under 40” profiles on upand-coming Nutmeg citizens making a big difference. The issue would be out in February.
“They let me know I’d been selected by Facebook messenger, and I was blown away,” says Northup, the public programs manager at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center in Mashantucket. “But I wasn’t expecting it to be out yet. So, yes, I had to stop and pick it up. And even though I knew it was coming, it was a shock to see myself included.”
He says that, while he hasn’t met any of the other honorees personally, he recognized some from social media and appreciates that “there’s a lot of individuals from a wide array of towns — which is extremely important because it shows that people can be impactful in a variety of different ways. None of us has to follow one script to be successful.”
Northup shares these anecdotes and observations with an almost apologetic modesty — and is quick to express gratitude to Connecticut Magazine and the selection committee (selected individuals were nominated by readers and the magazine’s staff). He says members of the tribe and the museum have been “extraordinarily supportive in sharing the experiences.”
Oh — and, yes, the fish tacos were created with all alacrity to provide succor to the ravenous mom-to-be.
“I love to cook, and I love that she loves the fish tacos,” he laughs.
Tradition and commitment
It’s an overcast winter day and the bearded Northup, in a dark cowboy hat and wearing dangling earrings, guides a visitor down the handsome corridors of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center to a small rest area with tables and chairs for visitors. Northup is the museum’s manager of public programs and is looking forward to a year full of new and innovative concepts and ideas to further the mission of education about the tribe’s traditions, way of life and history.
A member of both the Mashantucket and Narragansett tribes, Northup has been working at the museum since he was 19. A graduate of Ledyard High School who’d enrolled at Mitchell College, Northup started a job at the museum, and it quickly became a dream job spangled with possibility and commitment.
“Nakai is a valued member of our team here at the museum and we’re thrilled he’s received this notable recognition,” says Robert Hayward, head of the museum’s marketing department. “He’s
been instrumental in the development of our educational programs and interactive exhibits, and no one deserves this award more.”
Stumbling fortuitously
“It's accurate to say I stumbled into my life's work. But I fell in love with it and it seems almost destined,” Northup says. “What else would I be doing? Not a doctor or a lawyer. I like basketball and I'm good at it — but not NBA good. Instead, I found the perfect job.”
In conversation, Northup speaks with a quiet, passionate energy. He's quick to laugh, and it's easy to see how charismatic he must be addressing groups in a variety of settings from the museum to classrooms, conferences and civic groups all over the country.
“I was always the shy, quiet kid in class, and I kept to myself a lot,” Northup says. “In school, I felt misrepresented. I think every indigenous child at some point experiences a crisis of identity because we have to hold and maintain our traditional ways, but we also have to adapt to the modern way of life. Finding that balance was crucial to me.”
The museum provided the perfect point of fusion. It's the largest Native American museum in the world — a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility that has been, according to a lot of press coverage over the years, a “hidden gem.”
“We're trying to get rid of the ‘hidden' part,” Northup laughs. “We've been going through a lot of transformation and it's still going through transformation. Our new director Josh Carter is one of my closest friends, and he's overseen a vision and plan to create a family feel to the museum — because we ARE family.”
Evolving curriculum
From Northup's perspective, the development of a productive and high-quality curriculum is key to achieve the goals of broadening the museum's appeal and mission to the public as well as provide a platform for indigenous people and their stories. Part of his vision is to transition to a seasonal programming structure utilizing a traditional, hands-on approach to education. There will be customized hikes for each season, for example, and more emphasis on such aspects as cooking, hunting and fishing, and storytelling.
“A common term we use is decolonizing,” Northup explains. “A museum is a colonized tool how to teach. A museum is not something our people had — but it's a tool we can still use and benefit from. So that's a big mission of ours: to share traditional ways of life in this structure, which rivals any Native American museum in the country.”
Northup also emphasizes his approach is not to “lecture” visitors or folks who show up when he speaks. “People take the time to visit our museum or come to a talk,” he says. “We're accommodating and eager to share the real history of our community. We welcome conversation and debate and try to answer the hard questions because that's how we all learn.”
Tangentially — and with full support of the museum — Northup has started his own company called “Rez Life Outdoors,” which through videos and in-person interaction focuses on the traditions of hunting, fishing and cooking.
“I get to do so many things I love for a living,” Northup says. “I've built a relationship with nature — and it's a close relationship — and the museum has been so encouraging and supportive in allowing me to share stories of my ancestors. And now I can teach and pass them on.”