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| David Cornelius |
11 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the Great Falls Discovery Center,
2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA.
Cornelius will share the tale of King Hendrick, Supreme Chief of the Mohawks, and present the complex and tragic story of King Philip’s War, the tumultuous period of history that included the infamous massacre of Native American refugees at the Great Falls (Peskeompskut) on May 19, 1676.
For Cornelius, who is a Master’s degree candidate in Anthropology and holds a degree in Colonial and Native American Studies, King Philip’s War is not just an academic interest. He has connections to the Mohawk and Mohican Nations on his father’s side of his family and his mother’s forebearers were Puritans. His ancestors died on both sides of the conflict.
Nolumbeka Board Member David Brule will also speak briefly about the National Park Service Battlefield Preservation Grant recently awarded to the town of Montague. Seeking to develop a comprehensive overview of the series of deadly encounters that took place at the Great Falls in 1676, the project funded by this grant will attempt to present a balanced account of this troubling history. It plans to include, for the first time, an unfiltered perspective emerging from the oral histories of the Wampanoag of Aquinnah, Mashpee Wampanoag, Nipmuc, Narragansett and Stockbridge-Munsee tribes, as well as that of the colonials.
The gathering, which is free, is named in honor of a traditional term for November’s full moon. It will also include an opening ceremony by Strong Oak Lefevre, Circle Keeper of the Visioning B.E.AR Circle; a display of traditional Native American gardening; a raffle; and light refreshments for sale.
If you are interested in helping us out on that day, please contact Lisa McLoughlin at nolumbeka@hemlockhouse.net
