The
Quaker Sweat LodgeBackground on the Wampanoag People and the
"Day of Mourning" Protests
The
Quaker Sweat Lodge
Background on
the Wampanoag People and the
"Day of Mourning" Protests
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Website
(Contains numerous pages and links)
Excerpt from the Tribe's "History" page:
"In
later years the Tribe came to accept Christianity as a new form of spirituality.
While this was just one example of their willingness to cultivate a partnership
with new members of the community, in no way did it diminish their devotion to
traditional Indian spiritual practices. It is this harmonious melding of
cultures and traditions that exemplifies the Mashpee Wampanoag spirit. In fact,
because of their devotion to religious tolerance the Tribe is still known
locally as the “Praying Indians.” . . . The sprit of patriotism lives on in the
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, and many of its people have fought with courage and
devotion in the armed forces of the United States. Members have served in every
American conflict since the Revolutionary War, and the Tribe even holds the
somber distinction of counting as one of their own Crispis Attucks, the first
person killed in action in the Revolution War.
"
Excerpt from the Mashpee Wampanoag Newsletter "Nashauonk Mittark" Fall-Winter 2004
"Thursday November, 25 through Sunday November 28, 2004
Behind the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council office
The Medicine Fire is a sacred cleansing fire to honor our ancestors and is a
time of unity and offering for native people.
Fire lighting ceremony - first light on Thursday
Opening circle - 10 AM Thursday
Closing circle - 3 PM Sunday
People who attend should bring enough food for themselves and a few others
and a small amount of firewood. Sage, ceremony tobacco and other offerings will
be provided.
We ask that outsiders respect that the Medicine Fire is not a public or media
event and is open to Native American people and family members only."
The Wampanoags and the Europeans: A Historical Sketch
In this overview is the following report:
"The
Wampanoag became more active as a tribe during the 1960's and 1970's as
Native Americans all over the country began to reassert their heritage. On
Thanksgiving Day, 1970, some 200 tribe members gathered at Massasoit's
monument to protest the European conquest. The "Day of Mourning" protest has
been held every Thanksgiving since.
The Wampanoags want to open a casino in New bedford, Ma., that could reap
more than $20 million in annual revenues. Besidess creating jobs for tribe
members, the gambling and entertainment complex would produce money for
health care, housing, and
scholarships."
Wampanoag "Day of Mourning" Protests Thanksgiving Observance in Plymouth,
Massachusetts
This report of a November 1998 march appeared in the local newspaper.
Such protests have been staged in Plymouth since 1990. In 1997, there were
clashes between protesters and police, and numerous arrests were made. The 1998
march was peaceful.
Statement in 1998 by the
President of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council, Russell M. Peters
Excerpt:
"While the `Day of Mourning’ has served to focus attention on past
injustice to the Native American cause, it has, in recent years, been
orchestrated by a group calling themselves the United American Indians of New
England. This group has tenuous ties to any of the local tribes, and is composed
primarily of non-Indians. To date, they have refused several invitations to meet
with the Wampanoag Indian tribal councils in Mashpee or in Gay Head. Once again,
we, as Wampanoags, find our voices and concerns cast aside in the activities
surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday in Plymouth, this time, ironically, by a
group purporting to represent our interests.
"A few have asked if the placement of
these plaques will end the need for us to continue to come to Plymouth and speak
the truth.
[NOTE: The plaque referred to,
placed by the city that year, reads as follows:
"Since 1970, Native Americans have
gathered at noon on Cole's Hill in Plymouth to commemorate a National Day of
Mourning on the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Many Native Americans do not
celebrate the arrival of Pilgrims and other European settlers. To them,
Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of their people, the
theft of their lands, and the relentless assault on their culture. Participants
in the National Day of Mourning honor Native ancestors and the struggles of
Native people to survive today. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual
connection as well as a protest of the racism and oppression which Native
Americans continue to experience."]
"The answer to that question is no! As we have stated many times before, we will continue to come to Plymouth and protest until we can act as sovereign nations on our own land without interference from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. As we speak today, many Native nations here in the Northeast, such as the Mashpee Wampanoag and the Nipmuc, are not even recognized as such by the federal government. Who is this government of pilgrims to decide who is Indian or not? We will continue to protest as long as sports teams and schools continue to use racist team names and mascots. We will continue to gather on this hill until the US military and corporations stop polluting our mother, the earth. We will continue to stand here and protest until racism is made illegal. We will not stop until the oppression of our Two-Spirited sisters and brothers is a thing of the past. When homeless people have homes. When immigrants from Central and South American are no longer hunted down. When no person goes hungry or is left to die because they have no access to quality health care. We will never stop coming to this place until police brutality no longer exists in communities of color. We will stop protesting when our brothers Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu Jamal and all political prisoners are free.
Until then, the struggle will continue."
Report on the 35th
Annual "Day of Mourning" rally in November 2004.
Excerpt: "In addition to the annual march
through the streets of downtown Plymouth, several Native people spoke to a crowd
estimated at 250-300. Themes of the speeches included
self-determination/sovereignty, comparing treatment of Native people in this
country to the World War II Holocaust against Jews, Gypsies, and others, the
continuation of 'Manifest Destiny,' the violation of treaty after treaty by
European–Americans against Natives, and the current use of the US legal system
as a 'weapon of mass destruction' against Native Americans."
United American Indians of
New England -- an activist group which sponsors the "Day of Mourning"
protests. It is associated with the International ANSWER group.
Excerpt: "UAINE
is a Native-led organization of Native people and our supporters who fight back
against racism and for the freedom of Leonard Peltier and other political
prisoners. We support Indigenous struggles, not only in New England but
throughout the Americas.
We fight back on such issues as the racism of the Pilgrim mythology perpetuated
in Plymouth and the U.S. government's assault on poor people. We protest the use
of racist team names and mascots in sports. We speak to classes in schools and
universities about current issues in the Native struggle. Indigenous people from
North, Central or South America who live in New England and who agree with what
we are trying to do are welcome to join with us. We also welcome the support of
non-Native people from the four directions. We believe very strongly that we
must support others in struggle, particularly other communities of color, the
lesbian and gay community, and the disabled community."
<< Home