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.