Post by Okwes on Dec 19, 2006 16:11:06 GMT -5
The Wampanoag, poised for federal recognition, relish the opportunity to
tell their story By SEAN GONSALVES
www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/thewampanoag23.htm
<http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/thewampanoag23.htm>
It's been said that the winners get to write history. Not that Mashpee
Wampanoag consider themselves losers. They don't - especially now that
the tribe is on the cusp of being granted federal recognition.
[http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/images/historical23.jpg]
[http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/images/bullet2.gif] Phillip
Wynne, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag and interpreter at Plimoth
Plantation, says he relies on the oral history of his elders to sift
through the written record.
(Staff photo by Ron Schloerb)
The U.S. Interior Department will issue a final decision on the tribe's
federal acknowledgement status this March. But, in a culture war that
pits the conventional story of America's founding against those who were
living off the land before the Mayflower, Thanksgiving - especially this
year - serves up a feast of joyful tomorrows and painful yesterdays. It
wasn't long ago that Phillip Wynne, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag
tribe, learned what he calls the ''myth'' of the First Thanksgiving, as
told by descendents of the Pilgrims. But, as a member of the tribe
whose ancestors greeted the 102 Pilgrims, the 18-year-old Wynne has
relied on the oral history of his elders to help sift through the
written record. Yesterday, during a break from his job as an
interpreter in Plimoth Plantation's replica Indian village that
demonstrates the traditional Wampanoag way of life, Wynne said the story
he learned in school was the Hallmark greeting-card version - Indians
and Pilgrims sat down, broke bread together and offered thanks. For the
Wampanoag, harvest time does not come at the end of November, he said.
And, he added, the Pilgrims showed their gratitude by fasting - a sacred
practice to which natives were not invited. ''Sitting down and having a
meal together? That never happened,'' he said. ''There was animosity.''
Though his tribe began seeking federal recognition in the 1970s, more
than a decade before he was born, Wynne has been around long enough to
know some animosity between Native Americans and non-Native Americans
still lingers, resurfacing each year around Thanksgiving. Many Native
Americans see Thanksgiving as a ''National Day of Mourning,'' while many
non-Native Americans consider such a perspective to be historical
revisionism, if not an attempt to make them feel guilty about the sins
of the Founding Fathers. ''I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad. If
they do, that's how they feel. I'm telling the truth so they can judge
for themselves,'' Wynne said. The historical truth, he added, can be
seen by simply looking at the numbers. ''At our peak, the Wampanoag
Nation was 300,000 strong. Today, we stand at about 5,000 (including
Wampanoag outside the 1,461-member Mashpee tribe). So, you can see what
colonization does to indigenous people, whether you're talking about
Wampanoags or Pacific Islanders or South Americans.'' Komi
''Wildhorse'' Haynes, Plimoth Plantation oral historian, basket-weaver
and Mashpee tribe member, considers Thanksgiving to be a reminder of
''abductions of native boys taken overseas - some of them never to
return.'' ''It was a great devastation. They took advantage of the
hospitality,'' she said. However, both Wynne and Haynes say they're
thankful for this time of year because it gives them a chance to tell
the other side of the Thanksgiving story. ''Our people are viewed as a
myth in textbooks,'' Wynne said. ''But we're still here. When most
people think Native American, they're thinking about recognized tribes
like the Cherokee or Navajo. But, now, I think the awareness of our
presence is definitely getting out there.'' With the Mashpee tribe just
months away from its probable official recognition by the federal
government, tribe member Kitty Hendricks-Miller, who also works as an
interpreter at the Plimoth Plantation, has noticed more curiosity about
Wampanoag history. ''I'm just amazed at the interest. It has to be
federal recognition that's got Wampanoags on people's mind,'' she said,
noting her interview with ''Good Morning America'' earlier this week.
The Mashpee Wampanoag are also featured in a History Channel documentary
''Desperate Crossing.'' The special premiered Sunday night and is slated
to air again today. ''It's awesome,'' Hendricks-Miller said about the
documentary. ''They tell our perspective and they didn't hire Italians
to play native people. It also tells the story of what happened in
England that brought the Pilgrims here.'' Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal
Council Chairman Glenn Marshall said that while he has plans to have a
''regular'' Thanksgiving meal with his family, he can't help but feel
torn about the holiday.
<http://oascentral.capecodonline.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.cct.\
com/news/articles/cctimes/508727627/Middle/Ottaway/CCT_0032_M_CapeCodVie\
w/CCT_0032_M_CapeCodView.gif/33653036386230623435363662653230?> ''I
have a meal with my family like everybody else, but it's still a day of
mourning for me. I compare it to 9/11 - an attack on a way of life and a
loss of innocence. That's how Wampanoags felt,'' said the Vietnam War
combat veteran. Marshall said he's thankful for the Bureau of Indians
Affairs positive preliminary finding on the tribe's federal recognition
petition. ''It makes it easier going forward, but we as a tribe give
thanks many times through the year. We give thanks and praise when the
herring come and at harvest. We give thanks for the hunt. This is stuff
that everyday people take for granted.''
tell their story By SEAN GONSALVES
www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/thewampanoag23.htm
<http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/thewampanoag23.htm>
It's been said that the winners get to write history. Not that Mashpee
Wampanoag consider themselves losers. They don't - especially now that
the tribe is on the cusp of being granted federal recognition.
[http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/images/historical23.jpg]
[http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/images/bullet2.gif] Phillip
Wynne, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag and interpreter at Plimoth
Plantation, says he relies on the oral history of his elders to sift
through the written record.
(Staff photo by Ron Schloerb)
The U.S. Interior Department will issue a final decision on the tribe's
federal acknowledgement status this March. But, in a culture war that
pits the conventional story of America's founding against those who were
living off the land before the Mayflower, Thanksgiving - especially this
year - serves up a feast of joyful tomorrows and painful yesterdays. It
wasn't long ago that Phillip Wynne, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag
tribe, learned what he calls the ''myth'' of the First Thanksgiving, as
told by descendents of the Pilgrims. But, as a member of the tribe
whose ancestors greeted the 102 Pilgrims, the 18-year-old Wynne has
relied on the oral history of his elders to help sift through the
written record. Yesterday, during a break from his job as an
interpreter in Plimoth Plantation's replica Indian village that
demonstrates the traditional Wampanoag way of life, Wynne said the story
he learned in school was the Hallmark greeting-card version - Indians
and Pilgrims sat down, broke bread together and offered thanks. For the
Wampanoag, harvest time does not come at the end of November, he said.
And, he added, the Pilgrims showed their gratitude by fasting - a sacred
practice to which natives were not invited. ''Sitting down and having a
meal together? That never happened,'' he said. ''There was animosity.''
Though his tribe began seeking federal recognition in the 1970s, more
than a decade before he was born, Wynne has been around long enough to
know some animosity between Native Americans and non-Native Americans
still lingers, resurfacing each year around Thanksgiving. Many Native
Americans see Thanksgiving as a ''National Day of Mourning,'' while many
non-Native Americans consider such a perspective to be historical
revisionism, if not an attempt to make them feel guilty about the sins
of the Founding Fathers. ''I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad. If
they do, that's how they feel. I'm telling the truth so they can judge
for themselves,'' Wynne said. The historical truth, he added, can be
seen by simply looking at the numbers. ''At our peak, the Wampanoag
Nation was 300,000 strong. Today, we stand at about 5,000 (including
Wampanoag outside the 1,461-member Mashpee tribe). So, you can see what
colonization does to indigenous people, whether you're talking about
Wampanoags or Pacific Islanders or South Americans.'' Komi
''Wildhorse'' Haynes, Plimoth Plantation oral historian, basket-weaver
and Mashpee tribe member, considers Thanksgiving to be a reminder of
''abductions of native boys taken overseas - some of them never to
return.'' ''It was a great devastation. They took advantage of the
hospitality,'' she said. However, both Wynne and Haynes say they're
thankful for this time of year because it gives them a chance to tell
the other side of the Thanksgiving story. ''Our people are viewed as a
myth in textbooks,'' Wynne said. ''But we're still here. When most
people think Native American, they're thinking about recognized tribes
like the Cherokee or Navajo. But, now, I think the awareness of our
presence is definitely getting out there.'' With the Mashpee tribe just
months away from its probable official recognition by the federal
government, tribe member Kitty Hendricks-Miller, who also works as an
interpreter at the Plimoth Plantation, has noticed more curiosity about
Wampanoag history. ''I'm just amazed at the interest. It has to be
federal recognition that's got Wampanoags on people's mind,'' she said,
noting her interview with ''Good Morning America'' earlier this week.
The Mashpee Wampanoag are also featured in a History Channel documentary
''Desperate Crossing.'' The special premiered Sunday night and is slated
to air again today. ''It's awesome,'' Hendricks-Miller said about the
documentary. ''They tell our perspective and they didn't hire Italians
to play native people. It also tells the story of what happened in
England that brought the Pilgrims here.'' Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal
Council Chairman Glenn Marshall said that while he has plans to have a
''regular'' Thanksgiving meal with his family, he can't help but feel
torn about the holiday.
<http://oascentral.capecodonline.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.cct.\
com/news/articles/cctimes/508727627/Middle/Ottaway/CCT_0032_M_CapeCodVie\
w/CCT_0032_M_CapeCodView.gif/33653036386230623435363662653230?> ''I
have a meal with my family like everybody else, but it's still a day of
mourning for me. I compare it to 9/11 - an attack on a way of life and a
loss of innocence. That's how Wampanoags felt,'' said the Vietnam War
combat veteran. Marshall said he's thankful for the Bureau of Indians
Affairs positive preliminary finding on the tribe's federal recognition
petition. ''It makes it easier going forward, but we as a tribe give
thanks many times through the year. We give thanks and praise when the
herring come and at harvest. We give thanks for the hunt. This is stuff
that everyday people take for granted.''