Native American Heritage Month offers an opportunity to celebrate the history, culture, and contributions of Native peoples. For UMGC Collegiate Associate Professor Mark Murtha, it’s also a moment of personal reflection on a family story that spans centuries and continents.
Murtha’s heritage includes ties to the Tyendinaga Mohawk of northern New York and Deseronto, Ontario, as well as the Narragansett and Wampanoag tribes of New England. “Native American Heritage Month is a time of pride and reflection on the contributions Native Americans made throughout history,” he said.
Growing up, Murtha knew of his Mohawk ancestry but had little opportunity to explore it. His father, raised in a foster home in northern New York, never fully connected with his Native roots. That changed years later during graduate school when a history professor encouraged Murtha to work with a genealogist. The research would uncover a lineage that includes warriors, diplomats, interpreters, and cultural bridge-builders, interwoven through early American history.
Joseph Brandt, whose Native American name was Thayendanegea, was Murtha’s 7th great-grandfather. A Mohawk leader and diplomat, Brandt met with George Washington and Benjamin Franklin and represented his people in the Continental Congress.
Peter Weiser, Murtha’s 5th great-grandfather, was a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, along with the famous Shoshone guide and interpreter Sacagawea, contributing to one of America’s most storied journeys, westward from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast.
Joshua Tefft, Murtha’s 9th great-grandfather, was the only Englishman known to fight alongside the Narragansett during King Philip’s War.
The genealogist also uncovered ties to early Pilgrims. On Murtha’s mother’s side, his 11th great-grandfather Francis Cooke was an original Mayflower passenger. Another ancestor, John Robinson—also an 11th great-grandfather—did not sail on the Mayflower, but was the spiritual founder of the Pilgrim movement and a key figure behind the voyage. Robinson’s influence is commemorated in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda painting Embarkation of the Pilgrims.
“These stories gave me a different perspective on life and an openness to different cultures,” Murtha said. That perspective informs his teaching and leadership at UMGC, where a wide range of ideas and a global outlook help drive student success.
Against that backdrop, Native American Heritage Month serves as a reminder that education is about more than knowledge; it is also about understanding and honoring the legacies that shape us and the values that guide us forward.