Post by Okwes on Oct 30, 2006 10:47:51 GMT -5
'Silent Drum' seeks solace in Bermuda after losing his wife of nearly 60 years
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ISLAND NOTEBOOK by IRA PHILIP MBE
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WHEN the tribal leader of the Wampanoag Tribe of Mashpee, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, needed a place for solace after recently losing his wife of nearly 60 years, he chose Bermuda.
The couple had been here in 2002 and, according to the Chief, found Bermuda to be "a creation that's heaven on earth". He felt that the creator outdid himself with this creation.
"The people are fabulous. It's a wonderful place. If I needed a place to live Bermuda would be it!"
The Chief's Indian name is "Silent Drum". For business and other purposes he is known as Chief Vernon S.D. Lopez. His late wife was Mary Julia Stanley or "Sweet Grass".
He said: "When we first learnt that we had tribal connections with the people of Bermuda we were excited. Our Indian ancestors were brought here as slaves, and it was a long time before we knew we had people in this part of the world."
Chief Lopez arrived in Bermuda last week accompanied by his only surviving child, daughter Marlene Blake, known in the tribe as "Woman of Wisdom", and her husband Alden.
The Blakes were house guests of Ronnie Chameau of St. David's Island. The Chief stayed with that other prominent Islander, St. Clair (Brinky) Tucker.
Commenting on the significance of the visit of Chief Lopez, Mr. Tucker recalled being in Massachusetts a few years ago in regard to reconnecting with his own ancestors from the Indian Pequot Tribe who were enslaved on St. David's Island.
"I was determined from the moment I met Chief Lopez that he should come to Bermuda. His ancestors were here as slaves. I wanted him to see outstanding landmarks and significant areas where they worked and were buried; and in particular where one was murdered.
"It is part of Bermuda's history. The Pequot chairman had been to Bermuda and I thought it was only fitting the Wampanoag chairman should come, especially since many of his tribal members had also visited," Mr. Tucker said.
He added that a bond that will last for ever had been established not only with the Chief himself, but with the people of St. David's Island.
"I must state, because there has been a lot of publicity about Indians being in St. David's, there are Indians all over Bermuda, people of Native American heritage.
"It's just that St. David's gets highlighted a lot because after Emancipation of the Slaves in 1834 the only way to get to St. David's was by boat or to swim, and vice versa.
"Because of intermarriage the Islanders' accent is different as well as some of their customs. But there are a lot of families both white and non-white who are deemed to have Native American heritage.
"Therefore, we do not want them to think they are not thought of or recognised, even though some may look Anglo-Saxon or Caucasian," added Mr. Tucker.
Regarding the murder he alluded to, he said it was well documented in the Bermuda Archives, that many Wampanoaigs and Pequots were brought to Bermuda as slaves.
In 1681 a Wampanoag Indian named Indian John violently resented being made a slave. He was so resentful that he murdered his slave master. As a result the master's family gathered all the Indians together and quartered Indian John.
They bisected him, cutting his body up in pieces. His head was put up on a stake on Gibbet Island off Flatts Village and left there.
The rest of the Indians were called together and warned that a similar fate awaited them if they misbehaved.
"The ironic thing is," Mr. Tucker added, "the owners of Gibbet Island are descendants of St. David's Islanders.
CHIEF Lopez and his daughter, just like Mr. Tucker and other St. David's Islanders, have a tremendous grasp on and deep insights into their ancient history.
He identified ancestors of his Wampanoag Tribe as the ones who welcomed the English colonists when they arrived as pilgrims aboard the Mayflower in New England in 1620.
"We taught them how to cope with the harsh New England weather and life in general in this part of the world," he said, going on to recite some of the bitter rewards the Native Americans got and continue getting to this day for their goodwill.
On a personal side, Chief Lopez was born in Mashpee in 1922. He was raised there until he went into the US Army in 1942. He was in a Special Engineer Corps of the US Army police that landed on the beaches of Normandy.
He was in the invasion from the first day and went all the way through to the end of World War Two. There are only ten of his comrades surviving. They have a reunion each year, and he is one of the three who are healthy enough to move around, as he put it, "two white fellows and me".
Chief Lopez said there was history behind his being named "Silent Drum". He used to be the drum maker for his tribe of several hundred, "until I lost the dexterity of my hands".
A drum is sacred to his tribe.
"It is the heartbeat of the tribe; it brings people together for our ceremonies, for our homecoming each year, for our cultural and religious events, for our tribal weddings and funerals"
The Chief and his wife would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on September 8 had she lived.
They had two children; their son passed away in 1991 at age 42.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ISLAND NOTEBOOK by IRA PHILIP MBE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHEN the tribal leader of the Wampanoag Tribe of Mashpee, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, needed a place for solace after recently losing his wife of nearly 60 years, he chose Bermuda.
The couple had been here in 2002 and, according to the Chief, found Bermuda to be "a creation that's heaven on earth". He felt that the creator outdid himself with this creation.
"The people are fabulous. It's a wonderful place. If I needed a place to live Bermuda would be it!"
The Chief's Indian name is "Silent Drum". For business and other purposes he is known as Chief Vernon S.D. Lopez. His late wife was Mary Julia Stanley or "Sweet Grass".
He said: "When we first learnt that we had tribal connections with the people of Bermuda we were excited. Our Indian ancestors were brought here as slaves, and it was a long time before we knew we had people in this part of the world."
Chief Lopez arrived in Bermuda last week accompanied by his only surviving child, daughter Marlene Blake, known in the tribe as "Woman of Wisdom", and her husband Alden.
The Blakes were house guests of Ronnie Chameau of St. David's Island. The Chief stayed with that other prominent Islander, St. Clair (Brinky) Tucker.
Commenting on the significance of the visit of Chief Lopez, Mr. Tucker recalled being in Massachusetts a few years ago in regard to reconnecting with his own ancestors from the Indian Pequot Tribe who were enslaved on St. David's Island.
"I was determined from the moment I met Chief Lopez that he should come to Bermuda. His ancestors were here as slaves. I wanted him to see outstanding landmarks and significant areas where they worked and were buried; and in particular where one was murdered.
"It is part of Bermuda's history. The Pequot chairman had been to Bermuda and I thought it was only fitting the Wampanoag chairman should come, especially since many of his tribal members had also visited," Mr. Tucker said.
He added that a bond that will last for ever had been established not only with the Chief himself, but with the people of St. David's Island.
"I must state, because there has been a lot of publicity about Indians being in St. David's, there are Indians all over Bermuda, people of Native American heritage.
"It's just that St. David's gets highlighted a lot because after Emancipation of the Slaves in 1834 the only way to get to St. David's was by boat or to swim, and vice versa.
"Because of intermarriage the Islanders' accent is different as well as some of their customs. But there are a lot of families both white and non-white who are deemed to have Native American heritage.
"Therefore, we do not want them to think they are not thought of or recognised, even though some may look Anglo-Saxon or Caucasian," added Mr. Tucker.
Regarding the murder he alluded to, he said it was well documented in the Bermuda Archives, that many Wampanoaigs and Pequots were brought to Bermuda as slaves.
In 1681 a Wampanoag Indian named Indian John violently resented being made a slave. He was so resentful that he murdered his slave master. As a result the master's family gathered all the Indians together and quartered Indian John.
They bisected him, cutting his body up in pieces. His head was put up on a stake on Gibbet Island off Flatts Village and left there.
The rest of the Indians were called together and warned that a similar fate awaited them if they misbehaved.
"The ironic thing is," Mr. Tucker added, "the owners of Gibbet Island are descendants of St. David's Islanders.
CHIEF Lopez and his daughter, just like Mr. Tucker and other St. David's Islanders, have a tremendous grasp on and deep insights into their ancient history.
He identified ancestors of his Wampanoag Tribe as the ones who welcomed the English colonists when they arrived as pilgrims aboard the Mayflower in New England in 1620.
"We taught them how to cope with the harsh New England weather and life in general in this part of the world," he said, going on to recite some of the bitter rewards the Native Americans got and continue getting to this day for their goodwill.
On a personal side, Chief Lopez was born in Mashpee in 1922. He was raised there until he went into the US Army in 1942. He was in a Special Engineer Corps of the US Army police that landed on the beaches of Normandy.
He was in the invasion from the first day and went all the way through to the end of World War Two. There are only ten of his comrades surviving. They have a reunion each year, and he is one of the three who are healthy enough to move around, as he put it, "two white fellows and me".
Chief Lopez said there was history behind his being named "Silent Drum". He used to be the drum maker for his tribe of several hundred, "until I lost the dexterity of my hands".
A drum is sacred to his tribe.
"It is the heartbeat of the tribe; it brings people together for our ceremonies, for our homecoming each year, for our cultural and religious events, for our tribal weddings and funerals"
The Chief and his wife would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on September 8 had she lived.
They had two children; their son passed away in 1991 at age 42.