A Spirited Gathering Commemorates the Tragedy of May 19, 1676

(Posted by Diane Dix on Facebook on May 17)

Yesterday's event was meaningful and well attended. We give thanks for the beautiful weather, the river, the birds, to all who showed up for the ceremony and later for the walk. Strong Oak's words made a tremendous impression on people and Loril Moondream's Apache chant was very powerful. 

If anyone took photos and is willing to share we would love to post them. The ceremony, drumming and spoken word segment was filmed by MCTV volunteers. Thank you! And Lance Smith, Nolumbeka Project website manager, and Karen Miller from GCTV, filmed the walk. It must have been very interesting because people stayed until after dark to hear more from Howard, Joe and David. We will let everyone know when these videos are available for viewing

Third Annual Great Falls Commemoration Ceremony on May 16

(Due to circumstances beyond our control (major road work at the intersection near the entrance to the Wissatinnewag site) we decided, for safety reasons, to postpone the previously announced gathering of stones for our prayer mound until another time.  The rest of the activities will take place as planned.)

Reconciliation Ceremony, 2004 (photo courtesy Doug Brown)

The 3^rd Annual Great Falls Commemoration Ceremony will take place in Turners Falls on Saturday, May 16.  The gathering,  co-sponsored by the Nolumbeka Project and Turners Falls RiverCulture, will this year be part of a larger, all day event, River’s Song. The Nolumbeka Project events will be held at the River Tent at Unity Park: 

 1:00 – 1:30 p.m.    Commemoration Ceremony;  

1:30 – 2:30 p.m   Visioning B.E.A.R. Singers; 

2:30 – 3:00 p.m.   River Stories in Poetry and Song 

with David Brule and others.

This part of the Connecticut River is spiritually an exceptional location and the historical significance for the indigenous peoples of the Northeast is well-documented.  For millennia the area of Great Falls (Peskeompskut) and Wissatinnewag (Shining Hill) was a gathering place for numerous Northeastern tribes during the fish runs and served as a place where diplomacy and peace prevailed. That ended 339 years ago on May 19, 1676 with the infamous massacre. Unity Park is where, 11 years ago on May 19, 2004, the Reconciliation Ceremony was held between the Town of Montague and the Narragansett to “begin to put the traumatic echoes of the past to rest".  The ceremony will honor and recognize both events and feature music from Nolumbeka Project president Joe Graveline and Loril Moondream and guest speakers.

If you missed the remarkable River Walk on May 2 walk, here’s another chance: from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. that evening ( May 16)  David Brule will lead a  walk on the Unity Park bike path and talk about 10,000 years of Native American presence near the Great Falls.  It involves leisurely walking along paved bike path for 1-1.5 miles. It is accessible to all; dogs on leashes welcome. 

We are seeking volunteers for this event and other Nolumbeka Project activities!

Please e-mail NolumbekaProject@gmail.com for a volunteer form.

JOIN US MAY 2 IN TURNERS FALLS

The River Walk:
Native American History
Saturday, May 2: 10 AM - 12 PM 
Unity Park
Turners Falls, MA

Join us for The River Walk to learn about 10,000 years of Native American presence near the Great Falls.  The walk, sponsored by the Nolumbeka Project and Connecticut River Watershed Council, involves leisurely walking along paved bike path for 1-1.5 miles. 

Learn from and speak to experts in the Native American history of this area, a history which included the Turners Falls massacre in 1676 during King Phillips War. 

The guides will be Nolumbeka Project Board members David Brule, Howard Clark, and Joe Graveline.  Collectively they share about one hundred years of information reconstructed through research, observations, insight, education, explorations, field work and associations, which illuminates the little known history of the early Native American culture of the Northeast. All three work closely with the Narragansett Indian Tribal Historic Preservation Office and monitor local Native American/American Indian sacred sites

Brule, of Narragansett and Nehantic descent, is the coordinator of the newly awarded National Park Service Battlefield Protection Program whose goal is to identify the likely locations of the King Phillip’s War (1675-76) Peskeomskut (Turners Falls) Battlefield and associated sites, including the Native American community Peskeomskut-Wissatinnewag. This is in partnership with an archaeologist, town historic commissions, and members of four New England tribes.  

Clark has Cherokee roots and his extensive research into the Native history of this area revealed the prime importance of Great Falls as a gathering place for many Northeastern tribes during the fish runs.  The Great Falls Massacre on May 19, 1676 was a turning point in the King Philip’s War. Clark was instrumental in securing protection for the land across the river, Wissatinnewag, and was a signer of the Reconciliation Agreement between the Town of Turners Falls and the Narragansett tribe at Unity Park on May 19, 2004.
 

Graveline, Nolumbeka Project president, is descended from Cherokee and Abenaki and began learning about the native culture from his mother at a young age. He specializes in presenting the unrepresented Indian side of American history.  He was one of the organizers of the Reconciliation Agreement; and of the Peoples Harvest Native American cultural celebration that took place on the Banks of the Connecticut River in Gill, MA in 2005 and 2006. 

Although the river has gone through many changes, the history remains and much will be revealed and explained during the walk. The guides will also offer a “geological primer” and give an overview of 345 million years history how the land was formed. 

Early May is a prime time for this event, before the leaves fully cover the trees. From across the river the serpentine trails down the hill from the Wissatinnewag land to the fishing stations below will still be visible.  A map will be provided to help identify some of these features during the walk.  Binoculars might be helpful, not just to see the sights but there will likely be migrating waterfowl and the occasional eagle. 

Meet at the Unity Park Bike Path gravel parking area on 1st Street in Turners Falls.  Accessible to all.  Dogs on leases welcome.  Free.  (donations appreciated)