First and foremost I would like to thank the Great Spirit for empowering me to write our truth and teaching me that love and knowledge are the most powerful medicines to share.
“Indian communities in Mashpee have always had their own form of organization and leadership. Sometimes it’s been formal; sometimes, informal. Sometimes opposed [imposed] from the outside; and sometimes, whenever they could win the right to self-government, that leadership was chosen themselves. They’ve been, in other words, for 300 hundred years…”
—Attorney Lawrence D. Shubow (“The Mashpee Indians: Tribe on Trial,” by Jack Campisi, 1991:23)
Our ancestor Nina Tobey Dias [1916-2004], Mashpee Wampanoag–People of the First Light, told me this story many years ago. She was so proud of Mashpee and her people. She smiled as she was sharing our culture; she resonated light and love with rose petals.
“Around 1920 people came from all over to attend pow-wows. I remember the Reverend Perry speaking. The pow-wow lasted for three days and sometimes more. Lots of chiefs came from other tribes and smoked the peace pipe, which was passed around. There was a lot of dancing around the fire. Families made large pots of quahog chowder, quahog cakes, corned herring with dumplings and potato and potato bargain.
“I remember that in those days there was a lot of planting and families helped one another with the gardens. Everything was preserved either in crock pots, or holes were made in the ground and pine needles [do-dillies] were placed in layers to preserve food. Every family had a good cook. I love plum porridge and hulled corn, which was served with milk. The corn was first soaked in baking soda to take the skin off. This was what we called field corn. Gruel [corn meal] was made and served with milk and sugar. Eels were first corned and then smoked. Hunting and fishing were done mostly by men, but some women hunted too. The bow and arrows were made out of cherry sticks. They hunted the racoons, rabbits, skunk, deer and other animals that were edible. We very rarely needed food supplies. Everything was usually eaten fresh. We also had our pigs, goats, chickens, and some people had a cow. We had only one store, which was owned by Quake Oakley.
“We used old remedies when we were sick. Catnip was picked and dried and drank as tea. It was put in the baby’s bottle for colic. Milkweed was used for healing. Skunk grease was used for congestion. That’s my story.”
* * *
So yes, please, Great Spirit, Dear Lord Jesus, who dwell in the sky. Lead us to the path of continued peace, understanding, respect and love of kindness from our beloved ancestors.
Isaiah 40:31 “But those hoping in Jehovah will regain power. They will soar on the wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not tire out.”
Joan Tavares Avant, M.Ed., is a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, Wampanoag Deer Clan mother, and a former director of the Mashpee School District’s Indian Education Program. She can be reached at turtle5avant@comcast.net.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.