Zobel holds multiple academic degrees, including a B.S.F.S. in History and Diplomacy from Georgetown University, and M.A. in History from the University of Connecticut—the school from which both her mother and great-aunt received degrees. Initially, Zobel was preparing to attend Harvard University as a history major. However, in meeting with the department chair, she was told that a Native American focus in History was not allowed, as it was considered "ethnohistory," and that she could major in anthropology. She chose UConn instead. In 2012, she also earned an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Fairfield University; and in 2013, she began a Ph.D. in Adult Learning and Teaching of Native American Studies at Lesley University.
In the Mohegan tribal nation, Zobel is both Medicine Woman and Tribal Historian. She also serves as executive director of the tribe’s cultural and community programs department. In her capacity as tribal storyteller, Zobel has traveled all throughout New England. Her goal has always been to provide a greater understanding of Native American history. In a recent interview, Zobel stated, “We are the keepers of the original ancient stories of New England.”
Zobel has long written history for her tribe, but she was motivated to get serious about her writing in 1991, when she was panned by critics at a Connecticut Humanities Council Conference. In 1992, her manuscript, The Lasting of the Mohegans, won the first annual Non-Fiction Award from the prestigious Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas.
Zobel’s non-fiction publications provide in-depth information and an unparalleled understanding of Mohegan culture, granting readers a glimpse at traditional practices. In Medicine Trail: The Life and Lessons of Gladys Tantaquidgeon, for instance, she writes that “certain feathers, such as those of the eagle, were reserved for ceremonies and high honors. Owl feathers were forbidden except in rare instances, for the owl’s cry is an omen of death” (41).
Additionally, Zobel writes speculative fiction, sometimes incorporating cherished cultural figures like Granny Squannit into her novels as a way of keeping them alive. In the summer of 2013 she is expected to release her newest novel, Great Bear Blues, set in New Hampshire.
Zobel won a top national award for “The Accomac Business Model.” The contest, called “Native Insight: Thoughts on Recession, Recovery & Opportunity,” was sponsored by the Alaska Federation of Natives, in partnership with the National Congress of American Indians and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.
In this story, Zobel illustrates the challenges of maintaining Native traditions in a rapidly changing, capitalist economy, suggesting that tribal people's cohesive nature might lend itself to cleaning up the current individualistic corporate structure. “The Accomac Business Model” provides the answers to Native longevity: there have always been Native fishermen and hunters, and yet while those same professions still exist today, there are also Native lawyers, doctors, and businesspeople. In both her fiction and her non-fiction, Zobel promotes Native Americans' continuing survival by refusing to let them slip from public memory. Native people have remarkably kept pace with an ever-changing society, while holding firm to the traditions of their ancestors. Zobel calls for the coalescence of progression and tradition in leading Native people to a bold new future.
Some of Zobel's earlier publications appear under her maiden name, Melissa Jayne Fawcett. Her Mohegan name was originally “Morning Star”, though Gladys Tantaquidgeon renamed her “Osowano,” meaning “the flower on the corn plant,” corn being a sacred food in Mohegan culture. Zobel has three children whose names embody their tribal heritage. Rachel Beth was named after Rachel Hoscott Fielding, the great-grandmother of Gladys Tantaquidgeon. Madeline Fielding gets her middle name from Mohegan culture keeper Fidelia Fielding. David Uncas was born in 1991, just after Zobel had a vision of her late uncle, Harold Tantaquidgeon, passing the baby to her along the Beautiful White Path. David’s middle name came thus comes from Harold’s hero, the Sachem Uncas.
*This article began as a longer profile for Wikipedia. Thanks to Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel for her assistance and feedback on both that article and this one.
Fawcett, Melissa Jayne. The Lasting of the Mohegans: Part I, the Story of the Wolf People. The Mohegan Tribe, 1995. Print.
Fawcett, Melissa Jayne. Medicine Trail: The Life and Lessons of Gladys Tantaquidgeon. University of Arizona Press, 2000. Print.
Fawcett, Melissa Jayne, and Joseph Bruchac. Makiawisug: The Gift of the Little People. Little People Pubns, 1997. Print.
Zobel, Melissa Tantaquidgeon. Fire Hollow. Raven’s Wing Books, 2010. Print.
Zobel, Melissa Tantaquidgeon. Oracles: A Novel. UNM Press, 2004. Print.
Spencer, Tricia et al. The Road to Elsewhere: Anthology of Award-Winning Short Stories. Scribes Valley Publishing Company, 2009. Print.
Zobel, Melissa Tantaquidgeon. "The Accomac business model." Alaska Dispatch. 4 November 2009. Alaska Dispatch. 16 April 2013. Accomac Business Model
Jacobson, Erica. "Tantaquidgeon relative named Mohegan tribal medicine woman." Norwich Bulletin.com. 21 May 2008. Norwich Bulletin. 4 April 2013. Norwich Bulletin
Official Mohegan Tribe website.
Arizona Board of Regents. "Great Tribal Leaders of Our Time: Jayne Fawcett." Indigenous Governance Database. 2013. University of Arizona. 5 April 2013. Jayne Fawcett
Zobel, Melissa Tantaquidgeon. "Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel." Academia.edu. 2013. Academia. 11 April 2013. Curriculum Vitae
Sayet, Rachel. "From the Mohegan Tribal Museum to Harvard to NMAI: An Intern's Journey (So Far) ." The National Museum of the American Indian. 20 May 2011. NMAI. 4 April 2013. The National Museum of the American Indian
Toensing, Gale Courey. "Mohegan Medicine Woman Wins $10,000 Essay Contest." Indian Country. 27 November 2009. Indian Country Today Media Network, LLC. 4 April 2013. $10,000 Essay]]>
Vera J. Francis is a Passamaquoddy educator, environmental activist and performance artist rooted in Wabanaki traditional storytelling. She resides in Perry, Maine, on the Pleasant Point (Sipayik) Reservation. Francis writes and speaks frequently about environmental issues and tribal politics in newspapers, at conferences, and on websites. On April 19, 2013, she was interviewed by Parker Cavallaro (UNH '13) for this article.
As part of the nonprofit Ntulankeyutmonen Nkitahkomikon—NN “We Take Care of Our Land”, Francis has advocated for the environmental preservation of Pleasant Point-Passamaquoddy ancestral territory. Because Passamaquoddy ancestral homeland is now divided by the U.S.-Canadian border along the St. Croix river, Francis has been involved with legal proceedings concerning both federal governments, including litigation between the Bureau of Indian Affairs, members of the Passamaquoddy-Pleasant Point (Sipayik) Reservation, and various energy companies seeking leases for land in trust. In addition to work with NN, Francis’s second activist group, The Schoodic Riverkeepers, has dedicated its work to more recent issues involving the St. Croix River alewife (a migratory species of herring) and glass eel. The group has called for these two species to be restored through measures such as unrestricted spawning runs, traditional resource management such as catch limiting, and increased support for an indigenous economy through export of fish products ("Vera Francis-Personal Interview").
For over 600 generations of Passamaquoddy ancestry, the St. Croix River alewife (Siqonomeq in the Maliseet language) has traveled from the brackish tidal waters of Passamaquoddy Bay to upstream spawning grounds in the river's 1,650 square mile watershed ("8.0 St. Croix River Basin" 1-2). With eight independent tributary streams and lakes, the St. Croix River basin provides the freshwater environment necessary for the alewives' annual run. Today, things have changed for the migratory fish. Alewives will travel 35 miles inland through the lower branch of the river, as they always have. They will reach the town of Baileyville, Maine, as they always have. And, since 2008, they will be allowed by the Canadian government to pass through the Milltown Dam, which is used for hydroelectric power generation ("St. Croix Alewife Pt. 2").
The fish will then travel to Woodland Dam where, since 1998, alewives have been permitted by the state of Maine to pass further upstream. This brings the fish to Grand Falls, where their journey ends. For just over 17 years, the alewives have finished their run at the Grand Falls Dam, where they are left to spawn in tributary lakes and streams below this point ("The Alewifes Argument" 1). International opposition has kept them here, and, until recently, it was uncertain if the fish would ever go further.
Sport fishermen see the alewife as a pest since the mature fish are able to feed on the fry of a much more coveted species, the small mouth bass. While bass str renowned as the prize of fisherman around the word, for the Passamaquoddy this marine trophy has overshadowed the ecological and cultural significance of the St. Croix alewife. The economy of Maine's sport fishing industry, along with the continuing need for hydroelectric power along the river, have cut off the remainder of the alewives' territory ("St. Croix Alewife Pt. 2"). As a result, roughly half of Passamaquoddy ancestral territory receives no yearly spawn. Furthermore, the alewives's current run is cut off from nearly 98% of tributary area by square mileage. Thus, the tribe has not received any natural supply of alewife to upper tributaries in almost a quarter of a century ("Vera Francis-Personal Interview"). Shortly, though, everything will change.
In addition to her efforts with land preservation and legal activism with NN, Francis is a founding member of a second Passamaquoddy activist organization known as the Schoodic Riverkeepers. Advocating for the tribe's traditional fishing rights, the organization focuses exclusively on alewife and river restoration, and has called on the U.S./Canadian International Joint Commission to restore the alewife's original territory. The Passamaquoddy believe strongly that the alewife is bestowed the natural and spiritual right to regenerate in its original scale (Toensing 1). Chief Hugh Agaki of the Passamaquoddy tribe at St. Andrews, New Brunswick, comments on this naturalistic philosophy:
"What’s happened to the Alewives is a reflection of what’s happened to ourselves, in terms of an indigenous species being displaced from our natural territory..." (Passamaquoddy Push for Restoration of Alewife..." 1)
To say that the alewife is tied to the Passamaquoddies' livelihood would be an understatement. The alewife, much like the glass eel, is a culturally-embedded species. The two species were once among three other searun fish in the St. Croix. Now that the Atlantic Salmon, Shad, and Blueback Herring are gone, these two fish are all the tribe has left ("St. Croix Alewife Pt. 2").
Vera Francis sits in front of her shoreline camp on Schoodic Lake. The sun has just dipped below the horizon, and it is dusk when my call reaches her. She is fishing for glass eels--not a breed, but an age where the juvenile eel is transparent, giving its body an almost crystal-like appearance. "We're paying attention to what's going on," Vera mentions in reference to current state legislation.
The legislation in question is Maine House Bill L.D. 451, unanimously reccommended for a house vote by Maine's Marine Resources Committee and signed by the governor on March 21st, 2013. Because of L.D. 451, Vera is considered non-licensed by the state of Maine because she is above an imposed license limit, capped at 200 for the Passamaquoddy.
I discover that Vera is actually fishing for glass eels in protest, (her licence number would be 341 if not for such strict regulations). In the state's eyes, she is not supposed to be doing what she is doing--and may even be asked to leave. In the eyes of her ancestors, she is doing what she is meant to do, and what her tribe has done for thousands of years. How, then, is the debate settled, when modernity and resource management clash with the intrinsic right to preserve one's way of life?
Vera explains to me that this "debate" need not exist. "We are fishing through a sustainable management plan that is focused on what comes out of the water." The Passamaquoddy's solution to the ecological fragility of the glass eel is quite literally a matter of numbers.
Rather than managing the species through access to fishing licenses alone, the juvenile eel is preserved by measuring how many are caught. When tribal members reach their catch limit, they simply stop fishing. This practice is in direct contrast to the state's approach on glass eel fishing where year by year, eel licenses have been tightened in their availability. L.D. 451 only worstens the prospect for legal traditional fishing. For regular eel harvesters, scant licensure is merely an inconvenience. For the Passamaquoddy, the glass eel (often fetching up to two thousand dollars per pound) is not just essential but financially critical ("Feds to Stay out of Maine Glass Eel Dispute" 1).
It's not just about the fish. Vera reminds me that the glass eel and alewife demand specific fishing practices. One must learn how to craft a seine for the eel, how to rig it in the water, and how to know when to stop fishing. These practices maintain the tradition of practical knowledge and skill that has always been a part of Passamaquoddy life. By continuing to fish for alewife and glass eel, the Passamaquoddy have also created an economy that supports industry outside of the tribe. Alewife is a good baitfish: catches are used by fish processing plants to create fish meal for lobstering, and are shipped off to distributors for commercial bait supply. When manufacturers, fish processors, and fisherman use the alewife, or when glass eels are purchased for eating, these subsequent economies perpetuate the traditional practices of the Passamaquoddy and ensure their future with a traditional marine subsistence ("Vera Francis-Personal Interview"). Francis explains why these indigenous fishing rights are so critical: "If you can't fully access the environment to participate in the traditional activity, you cannot acquire a traditional economy. You won't be able to acquire the knowledge or new knowledge that is required to sustain a traditional economy."If the Passamaquoddy are to maintain this traditional economy, they must continue their advocacy for the resources that allow them to do so. Still, the frantic pace of modern progress will continue to conflict with the ecological necessity of tribal members. The impact of development along the St. Croix will push relentlessly forward--but so too will the Passamaquoddy. Francis's commitment to preserving the glass eel is illustrative of her continuing commitment to her own ancestral territory. The alewife will soon see waters that have not been seen in decades. The glass eel may finally receive the responsible fishing management needed to ensure its future as well. These are the triumphs that define Vera Francis, and define the Passamaquoddy as a resilient, adaptive, and resourceful people.
In an ongoing effort to inform scholarly communities, Vera is published in the March 2012 issue of Yemaya, a journal for gender and fisheries published by the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF). In her article, Francis reminds readers how the perception of progress from the colonial perspective is often seen as a detriment to indigenous communities and their ecological resources (Francis 2-3).
*This article began as a biographical entry for Wikipedia. Thanks to Vera Francis for her interview, and for her feedback on both the Wikipedia article and this one.
“The Alewives Argument". The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.
Alewife St. Croix Part 2. Dir. Ed Bassett. 2010. Digital Media.
“Feds to Stay Out of Maine Glass Eel Dispute.” Sun Journal. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
Francis, Vera J. "Exercising Sovereignty on the Sea." Yemaya 39 (2012): 2-3. Print.
“Legislators Pass Bill to Reopen River to Alewives." The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.
Toensing, Gale C. "Passamaquoddy Nation Seeks to Free Alewives on St. Croix River - ICTMN.com." Indian Country Today Media Network.com. Indian Country Today, 11 July 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
"Vera Francis-Personal Interview." Telephone interview. 19 Apr. 2013.
Walsh, Tom. "Passamaquoddy Push for Restoration of Alewife Spawning Grounds."Passamaquoddy Push for Restoration of Alewife Spawning Grounds. Bangor Daily News, 10 June 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
"8.0 St. Croix River Basin (Eastern Maine Coastal)." Maine.gov. N.p., Oct. 2007. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
]]>As a musician, he is a member of the Quabbin Lake Singers, along with his three sons Anoki, Nantai, and Manixit. The group has a focus on upholding and honoring culture with their music: during performances, the four wear traditional clothing to honor their ancestors. Mann holds the role of Drum Keeper in the group, a role that requires him to “ensure the Drum is being honored and played in a manner for the particular ceremony taking place.” The Drum is a sacred object in Native American culture that must be respected, as it is “the heartbeat of Mother Earth” and “allows us to pray and communicate with the natural elements of the world and beyond” (Volain).
Nowadays, the Quabbin Lake Singers do not perform as often as they used to, but Mann devotes the majority of his creative energies to writing. His writing career began in his youth when he wrote letters to the government in order to draw attention to issues that the Nipmuc people face. Additionally, he has been writing prose and poetry since his teens. He wrote his first book, a collection of short stories and poetry titled Tales from the Whispering Basket, because he wanted not only to acknowledge Nipmuc history, culture, and contributions to the foundations of America, but also to explore his ability to write in different genre styles (Volain). He has also contributed to Indian Country Today Magazine.
While the majority of his work details Nipmuc culture and history, he also branches out to write about themes that aren’t directly related to his tribe. One of the short stories from Tales from the Whispering Basket entitled “Deadly Deeds” describes a man from the fictional town “Namtac” leasing a small cottage in the town of “Dinac.” While the townsfolk are initially puzzled by his presence, they come to harass and assault him four weeks after he rents the cottage. After uncomfortably living there for a year, he takes a look at the lease again only to be shocked:
As I read the fine print, I freaked out so bad I coughed up hair! It states: ’We the citizens and the town of Dinac shall only lease and rent to our kind. All others may stay for a respite but must depart after four weeks. Those who choose to stay past that time period risk life and limb. All those who stay one year shall be eaten!’ So, do you see my dilemma? I’m not a ‘Dinac,’ I’m a ‘Namtac!’ Those Dinac’s have been barking and chasing my kind for centuries! We scratch and fight but I’m stranded and outnumbered! I hear them coming! So, please, read your lease well lest you end up renting from a bunch of dogs! (Mann, 75)
The story displays his imaginative prose and, based on the last sentence, a hint of humor, but the idea of a group of people united under a common distinction (e.g., what race they belong to, where they come from, where they live now, etc.) oppressing another is certainly a familiar topic for Native Americans. This piece of fiction is more playful — and more extreme at the same time — with the topic than the other stories and poems in his book.
With his wife, daughter, and three sons, Mann currently lives in Webster, Massachusetts, in Worchester County, a place where his ancestors have lived “since time immemorial.” However, Mann was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts (Urban). Despite his people’s rich history in the area, he still felt different and out-of-place among the other kids: “Our people have always been here, but when you’re a kid and there are very few people who can identify with who you are, you actually begin to feel like an outsider on the very Earth your people have been on for thousands of years.”
Mann has also participated in environmental activism, such as working with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in order to protect an indigenous fish local to the Worcester area ("It's Not Just..."). He has stated that "[the] Earth is not something for you to rip apart. It's there for everyone to share and understand." In line with this, he believes that if Indian culture had progressed on its own without European influence, it would have created technology that is more environmentally-friendly than what is commonly used today in Western culture (Steeves).
The Nipmuc tribe is based in central New England, mainly within Worchester County, Massachusetts, but used to inhabit territory reaching from southern New Hampshire to northern Connecticut and Rhode Island. They lived in villages such as Wabaquasset, Agawam, and Quaboag, utilizing a lifestyle including hunting, gathering, and planting. Since European arrival, they participated in King Philip’s War and all the wars on American soil such as the Revolutionary and Civil Wars (Toney).
Today, the Nipmucs are not federally recognized due to failing to meet all the necessary criteria for federal recognition as set by the Office of Federal Acknowledgement (OFA) of the BIA (“Martin issues…”). The OFA’s denial of recognition is based on the findings of John Milton Earle in an 1861 report regarding the Native population of Massachusetts. Earle noted that some tribes within the Nipmuc Nation had little property and was unsure of the tribal status of members who married white or African American individuals, unwittingly skewing the lineage of many of today’s Nipmuc Indians as recorded by the federal government (Thee). As of 2009, the Nipmuc tribe consists of roughly 3,000 members. Today, they seek to restore their culture and obtain federal recognition. Mann states that “when you look at of what our people went through, it’s almost impossible to get [federal] recognition” (Filipov). Mann is one of many Nipmucs trying to bring back both cultural practices and tribal pride, hoping the public will recognize them even if the government won’t.
Filipov, David. “Through Songs and Artifacts, Tribe Revives a Long-Lost Culture.” Boston Globe: A.1. June 06 2009. ProQuest. Web. 11 April 2013.
Holley, Cheryll Toney. “A Brief Look at Nipmuc History.” WordPress.com, 2001. Web. 17 April 2013
""It's Not Just Native History, it's American History"". Mass Media, 29 November 2011. Web. 8 April 2013.
Mann, Larry Spotted Crow. Tales from the Whispering Basket. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2011. Print.
“Martin Issues Final Determination to Decline Federal Acknowledgment of The Nipmuc Nation.” U.S. Department of the Interior.
Sacks, Pamela H. “Webster man keeps Nipmuc tradition alive.” Telegram & Gazette.
Steeves, Gus. "Earth is not something for you to rip apart". Southbridge Evening News, 16 November 2011. Web. 10 April 2013.
Thee, Christopher J. “Massachusetts Nipmucs and the Long Shadow of John Milton Earle.” The New England Quarterly.
Urban, Cori. “Springfield native Larry Spotted Crow Mann authors new book titled ‘Tales from the Whispering Basket.’” masslive.com
Volain, Mark. Two Minutes With…Larry Spotted Crow. Worchester Mag.
Interview with Larry Spotted Crow Mann and performance with the Quabbin Lake Singers.
Official Website of the Nipmuc Nation. Nipmuc Nation.
Mann, Larry Spotted Crow. “BIO.” Tales from the Whispering Basket.
Mann, Larry Spotted Crow. “David Barton’s Lies about King Philip’s War”. Indian Country Today, 12 April 2013. Web. 14 April 2013.
Mann, Larry Spotted Crow. “Native People Are Still Being Misinterpreted and Misunderstood”. Indian Country Today Media Network. 16 October 2012. Web. 1 April 2013.
Mann, Larry Spotted Crow. “Last Thoughts on Columbus Day—For This Year, at Least”. Indian Country Today Media Network, 10 October 2012. Web. 1 April 2013.
Mann, Larry Spotted Crow. “Mitt Romney Proves Yet Again Just How Out of Touch He Is”. Indian Country Today Media Network, 23 September 2012. Web. 1 April 2013.
]]>Hopkins spent time as a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist for the Gannett News Service, and also has written for USA Today, The News-Press, The Pequot Times, The Westerly Sun, Indian Country Today Media Network, News from Indian Country and Native Peoples Magazine. His work has received recognition from the Gannett Awards and the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) Awards. In 2003, he became the first member of the NAJA to receive awards in four different writing categories during the same year (news, features, sports and columns).
From an early age, Hopkins knew exactly what he wanted to do and made it happen.
“I’ve never wanted to do anything other than write,” Hopkins said in an interview. “Through journalism I saw a chance to write, tell stories of interesting people and things and get paid for it!”
The field of journalism has brought Hopkins from Rhode Island to Massachusetts, New York, Florida, and now Arizona. While he has been in the reporting business for twenty-plus years, he also delved into writing fiction novels over the past decade.
Hopkins has published five books: Carlomagno in 2003, Nacogdoches in 2004, The Pirate Prince Carlomagno in 2011, Twilight of the Gods in 2011, and Rhyme or Reason: Narragansett Poetry in 2012.
Hopkins doesn’t shy away from trying out different genres, whether it be historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, or even poetry.
“I can’t sleep at night because my mind won’t turn off; I spend time thinking of things to write about, genres I want to try,” said Hopkins. “I feel some need to create.”
His first book, Carlomagno, is based off King Philip’s War, fictionally elaborating on the story of King Philip’s captured son, whom he names “Carlomagno.” Hopkins’s long love of westerns is apparent in Nacogdoches, which follows “The Rango Kid,” as he impersonates a sheriff and finds himself forced to stand up to a criminal. The Pirate Prince of Carlomagno continues to tell a story of a Young Native American’s struggles to elude slavery. In Twilight of the Gods, Hopkins explores the science fiction genre by writing about the supernatural coming to life, based off the Mayan calendar’s predictions. Most recently, Hopkins published Rhyme or Reason: Narragansett Poetry, which touches on Narragansett tribal history.
“I definitely enjoy mixing real history with fiction, so that not only can I tell a story, but maybe help the reader to learn something they didn’t know,” said Hopkins. “By the way, I am related to the main character in Carlomagno.”
Hopkins is related to the Wampanoag tribe and is of kin to Quadequina — known famously for introducing popcorn to the Pilgrims at the First Thanksgiving. In addition, Hopkins is of King Ninigret descent — the last hereditary royal family of the Narragansett Native Americans in Rhode Island. Hopkins himself served as a Narragansett Tribal Council member from 1994 to 1996.
Despite his relation to some historically renowned Native Americans, Hopkins doesn’t want to be known as just another Native American writer. He wants to be known as a writer.
“I don’t want to be limited,” he said. “I’ve worked at newspapers where I was the 'Indian' writer, go do the pow wow stories, write about casino plans. I am more than that. I will not be put in a box and be defined by someone else.”
Between his novels, poetry and journalism, Hopkins’s writing style varies drastically. But when he is wearing his nationally syndicated columnist hat, Hopkins greets his readers with a particularly humorous tone.
“I write for an audience,” said Hopkins. “I prefer humor because there is too much sadness in the news and I want to brighten someone’s day with an unexpected chuckle or smile. I also think it’s more challenging to be funny as writer. Everyone understands sadness and pain, but to make someone laugh is special — because people have different senses of humor.”
The following depicts his lighthearted voice as a columnist:
I never planned to be a failed journalist or a hack writer. Seriously, in my youth, I had big plans that included wealth, women and worldwide fame.
Now I’d settle for a Twinkie and a Diet Coke.
I’m not one of those quacks that hope to better his or her life by climbing Mount Everest or learning to make origami swans. Instead, I am devoted to Self-Hypnotic Introspection Therapy. (You figure out the acronym for that). (”My Past Lives Relived for You,” Indian Country Today Media Network)
As his writing style may suggest, Hopkins has fun with all the day-to-day responsibilities of being a writer. He is currently working on a couple projects, and that’s the way he likes it. One of his projects is a western that takes place in an Arizona ghost town; the other is a fantasy about wizards and warriors.
Again, he has fun with it.
“I’ve never been intimidated by a blank page and a deadline. I see it as a challenge, a test,” Hopkins said. “And usually I have far more to say than I can fit on a blank page. Also, it’s my way of gaining immortality. I’ll be gone some day, but my words will live on.”
Sonja Horoshko. “Hopkins’ ‘Carlomagno’ Imagines the Life of a Native American Pirate.” Four Corners Free Press. (Aug. 2011).
Reid Wright. “‘Twilight of the Gods.’” The Cortez Journal. (March 2012).
“Native American Authors.” Internet Public Library. (2012).
“Narragansett Indian Tribe.” Official Tribal Website. Anthony Arusso. “A writing life for Hopkins.” Southern Rhode Island Newspapers. (Dec. 2011).
John Christian Hopkins. “Honesty and Crimes: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.” Indian Country Today Media Network. (Feb. 2013).
John Christian Hopkins. “My Past Lives Relived for You.” Indian Country Today Media Network. (March 2013).
John Christian Hopkins. “Peace Party Comics features Native American warriors as the heroes.” Pequot Times. (May 2002).
Hopkins, John Christian. Carlomagno. New York: IUniverse, 2003. Print.
Hopkins, John Christian. Nacogdoches. N.p.: Publish America, 2004. Print.
Hopkins, John Christian. The Pirate Prince Carlomagno. Franklin Park, NJ: Wampum, 2011. Print.
Hopkins, John Christian. Rhyme or Reason: Narragansett Poetry. Greenfield, MA: Blue Hand, 2012. Print.
Hopkins, John Christian. Twilight of the Gods. Greenfield, MA: Blue Hand, 2011. Print.
“Native American Journalists Association.” Official Website.
“Author John Christian Hopkins.” Personal Blog.
“John Christian Hopkins Fan Page.” Facebook.
]]>New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues begins with the Abenakis alphabet, and then goes into the vowels, diphthongs, and syllables. The pronunciation key gets you ready to delve into the vocabulary that is broken up into sections; the first being “Of God’s Attributes” with words like Deity, Mercy, and Spirit. From the heavens, to the winds and seasons the reader is brought down from what is bigger than any single human to the very words used to describe the kinds people who inhabit this earth. The sections of words continue to take the reader back out of their own skin and into the very soil they walk on, and all the gratitude it deserves. The more difficult verbal translations and conjugations are at the end of the dictionary.
The structure of Laurent’s dictionary is also what widely sets it apart from others. His translations are set up as a journey through their land as opposed to a standard list. He takes the reader on a trip from Quebec and throughout New England through linguistics, and language education.Despite Laurent's upbringing of speaking fluent Abenaki and French,he created the substantial text in an effort to preserve the Abenaki language and culture. Laurent’s preface describes his intentions, along with a suggestion of how to read the book without criticism:
The primary intention, the chief aim of the Editor in publishing this book, is to aid the younger generation of the Abenakis tribe in learning English. It is also intended to preserve the uncultivated Abenakis language.
May this little volume, which will learn the white man how the Abenakis vocal organs express God’s attributes, the names of the various objects of the various objects of the creation; beasts, birds, fishes, trees, fruits, etc., etc., and how extended are the modifications of the Abenakis verb, be welcomed by the white as well as by the red man, and its errors and defects overlooked with indulgence.
(Signed) Sozap Lolu, alias, Jos. Laurent.
Aside from his work with language, Joseph Laurent was also an entrepreneur. He built a trading post and camp in Intervale, New Hampshire. It was erected in the same years as the publication of Laurent’s dictionary, 1884. The camp was located in a grove of white pines known as Cathedral Woods, across from the scenic overlook that resides on the border of North Conway and Intervale. A local hotel owner allowed Laurent to build on his land thinking the Abenaki business would benefit both men. It consisted of an Abenaki gift shop, five cabins, a wigwam, flagpole, and totem pole. Laurent purchased goods from Odanak members and took them to his trading post to sell to Euro-American tourists. They sold things like Victorian goods and miniatures, but their primary source of income was the sale of handmade ash-splint baskets. Tourists, who stayed at the hotel while traveling through the White Mountains could visit Laurent and his family, watch them make baskets and purchase goods. It was not only a business opportunity, but was also a way for his family to practice speaking English. After Laurent’s death in 1917 a monument was placed on a large stone in memory of him. The trading post remained for thirty-three years, and was maintained after Laurent's death until 1960 by his wife and son Stephen Laurent who was also an accomplished writer/linguist, and resided in Intervale until his death in 2001.
The camp in Intervale was more than a store. It symbolized the return of Abenaki people to their ancestral homeland. New England based nations were forced out of New England and into Canada during colonial settlement. The creation of the trading post gave the Abenakis the opportunity to reconnect to their original roots. With the future Abenaki generations on his mind, Laurent’s impact was one of the greatest of his people. The now historical site of his trading post remains today with the memorial to Laurent and the remains of a cabin or two, and New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues is still widely used as their language is being revived faster than ever. His memorial in Intervale ends with a quote from St. Mark 6:1:
“Ni Odzi Modzen Nidali Ta Wdali Paion Agmatta Wdakik”
“And he left that place and returned to his own country”
References:
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Masta’s Abenaki Legends, Grammar, and Place Names is not just a dictionary, but also a dissection of an immense collection of different Abenaki words, names, and tales. Titles and stories are broken down and explained for the reader. Their origins are traced, and their importance is sketched. In constructing and compiling these extensive explanations, Masta is actively revitalizing the Abenaki language and promoting decolonization through the continued practice of the dying language. Masta is also utilizing the Abenaki language so as to carry on the myths and cosmos of the native people.
Within the foreword written by A. Irving Hallowell, a professor of anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, he explains, “While the phonetic symbols used (in this book) are not refined to the extent demanded in academic circles, a reasonable degree of systemization has been achieved” (Hallowell, 11). This excerpt is an attempt to warn the reader that the writer will be using traditional Abenaki spellings and letter combinations. Masta chose this method in an effort to encourage proper pronunciation, thus keeping all words and names as true to the language as possible. This, then, is a distinct effort from Masta towards decolonization; Masta has challenged the “academic circles,” and has successfully published a piece of oral history that remains true to the roots of the native peoples.
Furthermore, the foreword includes several examples of the “reasonable degree of systemization” used by Masta so as to teach the reader how to pronounce certain letter combinations unique to Abenaki. For example: “‘w’ preceding or following a consonant is equivalent to 'u' pronounced as 'oo' in English, "moon," the difference being that in Abenaki this sound is uttered with even a more marqed [sic] lip protrusion and weak breath” (Hallowell, 11). This is a vivid example of the author’s initial goal, which is to promote decolonization through language revival. In the aforementioned excerpt, the reader is instructed how to pronounce certain words through physical direction. This adds to revival efforts and challenges the norm of the more widely spoken languages.
In addition to traditional Abenaki words and grammar, Masta lists ecological titles and their origins. An example from “The Meaning of Indian Names of Rivers, Lakes Etc.” section of the dictionary follows:
NAHANT, Mass. This celebrated watering place is a part of the beautiful town of Lynn. It is a peninsula, jutting out about five miles into Massachusetts Bay and forms Lynn Bay on the south. Nahant means point. (Masta, 93)
Masta has taken his dictionary and threaded into it several legends of his people and stories of different battles amongst native tribes. For the first two parts of Abenaki Legends, the book reads much like a religious or historical text. In his work, “The Life and Traditions of the Red Man, Joseph Nicolar explains that, “Henry Lorne Masta, former Head Chief of the St. Francis Abenaki at Odanak, Quebec, included three separate stories of Abenaki-Iroquois entanglements in his Abenaki Legends, Grammar, and Place Names” (Nicolar, 85). In Anthropological Linguistics, an archive of languages from Indiana University’s Anthropology Department, Masta, along with Pierre Paul Osunkhirine and Chife Joseph Laurent, is described as, “A native author who produced translations, legends, and descriptions of language, in addition to religious materials for the use of both Catholics and Congregationalists” (Grant, 577). These accreditations affirm that Masta is both historically accurate in his retellings and respected in his religious inclusions. These additions are important because they further display Masta’s wide net of efforts to encourage an embrace of Abenaki culture.
One of the first of Masta’s legends that the reader encounters involves John Loden, an Abenaki, and his wife Mary Nigen, a Wawenock of Becancour, Quebec. In the legend, they are headed to Batiscan River near Rat River, Quebec, late one summer. Colin M. Coates, in his The Metamorphoses of Landscape and Community in Early Quebec, offers insight into the area’s past: “The origins of the word “Batiscan” are obscure, though it doubtless has an Amerindian derivation” (Coates, 14).In the introduction, Masta announces that the couple are from different tribes. Although they may have originated separately, they have come together as husband and wife. The writer also uses landscape to establish a geographical reference and a connection to the earth, strengthened by Coates’ research.
As John and Mary walk, they come across a cherry bush. While snacking, they encounter a big bull moose, which John shoots on the head with cherry stones. The moose leaves, uninjured but uninterested. As they continue, Mary explains to John that the moose was actually a sorcerer, “Remark what I say... Thou shalt see something more wonderful than this ere thou again comest to St-Francis River” (Masta, 44). Mary is warning John that he will see something spectacular before he returns to St-Francis River, foreshadowing the end of the story. After spending the winter “thereabouts” and “remained there until the latter part of the summer,” the duo begins the journey back the way they came. They eventually come to the cherry tree again, but it is different, elevated on a rock that is shaped like a “gourd.” When John climbs the rock and begins picking cherries, Mary soon hears him call for help. She runs up to his unconscious body and wakes him. “Just then the moose was walking away with the small elevation and the big cherry tree on his back and horns; at the same time John and Mary heard someone say: ‘Mary, Mary, John, Mary, Mary, John Loden, Mary Nigen” (Masta, 45). The story ends with Mary telling John that now he sees what a sorcerer can do. John responds, “It is so amazing that I can hardly believe it.”
There is literary intricacy involved in this story, which is meant to illustrate the interconnectivity between different peoples, as well as their connection with the earth. Through John and Mary’s travels and the landmarks mentioned, the story displays the relationship that humans share with earth and nature: people live in tandem with the earth, and it is where all life begins and ends. Descriptive language aids in the symbolism: the gourd is symbolic of the fruitfulness of nature and its ability to sustain life. The physical difference in the land, the “elevation,” symbolizes the malleability of nature and represents change as inevitable. The aggression of the moose is symbolic of the force of nature and its ability to fight back after being mistreated, so unstoppable and awesome that humans, like John, can hardly believe it. Through the combination of extensive language use (the story is presented in both Abenaki and in English), Masta promotes the use of native language, while at the same time passing on and revitalizing a legend of Abenaki culture and ideals of the native people even to non-speakers.
In conclusion, Henry Lorne Masta’s Abenaki Legends, Grammar, and Place Names serves not only as a dictionary of an imperiled language, but as a tool of revitalization of a culture, and decolonization through the expression of linguistic mechanics and the retelling of timeless legends. In The Oxford Handbook of Indigenous American Literature, author James Howard Cox credits Masta for revitalizing the Abenaki language:
Finally, a number of Native writers in the Northeast published or composed books, journals, and documents in their Indigenous languages, enabling, perhaps without knowing it, the revitalization movements of the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Odenak Abenaki writers, including Peter Paul Wzôkhilain, Joseph Laurent, and Henry Lorne Masta, published awikhiganak, Western Abenaki language books, designed for teaching their students English. These works are being used today by language teachers, creative writers, and community members on both sides of the border to continue an endangered language that has survived centuries of colonization (Cox 552).
With the inevitability of further decline among Abenaki speakers and therefore the language itself, it is authors and scholars like Henry Lorne Masta that can be credited with succeeding in resuscitating a struggling culture. In their determined and unwavering efforts, Masta and his peers have also inspired future generations to continue the work.
Brooks, Lisa Tanya. The Common Pot: The Recovery of Native Space in the Northeast. U of Minnesota Press, 2008.
Coates, Colin M. The Metamorphoses of Landscape and Community in Early Quebec. McGill-Queens Press, 2000.
Cox, James Howard, James H. Cox, and Daniel Heath Justice. The Oxford Handbook of Indigenous American Literature. Oxford University Press, 2014.
Grant, Anthony P. "Review of Western Abenaki Dictionary, Volume 1: Abenaki-English; Volume 2: English-Abenaki by Gordon M. Day." Anthropological Linguistics. 38.3 (1996): 576-8. JSTOR. Web. 14 August 2015.
Masta, Henry Lorne. Abenaki Indian Legends, Grammar and Place Names. La Voix des boisfrancs, 1932.
Nicolar, Joseph. The Life and Traditions of the Red Man: A Rediscovered Treasure of Native American Literature. Duke University Press, 2007.
]]>A number of Torres' works appear in anthologies, such as Dawnland Voices: An Anthology of Indigenous Writing from New England and Recognition, Sovereignty Struggles, and Indigenous Rights in the United States: A Sourcebook, and she has facilitated many formal discussions surrounding indigenous rights in America (Rose). Along with a fellow Schaghticoke tribal member, Trudie Lamb-Richmond, Torres co-edited the section in Dawnland Voices focusing on the Schaghticoke tribe.
In Torres’ 2014 op-ed, “Six things you did not know about the federal acknowledgement of Indian tribes,” she presents the basics of federal acknowledgement of Indian tribes in clear, plain language, with plenty of humor and wit. The piece highlights the many struggles that Native people face when seeking recognition, and similar issues. Torres is particularly invested in Tribal Recognition practices, as the Schaghticoke, have been alternatively recognized and de-recognized at both state and federal levels over the course of history. Their status is still presently unresolved, and the Schaghticoke people remain in a kind of political limbo. Torres comes from a long pedigree of Schaghticoke writers addressing government entities, particularly concerning sovereignty and tribal rights.
Torres is particularly on point in her op-ed, wittily engaging a largely uniformed audience, while also insisting on the lasting presence of Native peoples in New England. It is a commonly held belief that all the Native people in New England died after King Philip’s War, which did result in the deaths of many Native people. Although many Natives lived on after Philip was executed, the public delusion that Native populations disappeared after the conflict still persists in the twenty-first century. Indians still live in New England, and our constant denial of that is harmful, which Torres underscores.
Torres' awareness of public perception of Native people is apparent in her bitingly accurate recognition of policies and media that continue to make Native struggles difficult today. Torres explains how changes to the federal recognition process are not actually making the process easier for tribes, and she notes how the media portray Indians as freeloaders who want to take advantage of tribal sovereignty (which then perpetuates broader public biases against all Natives). Torres highlights how reality is quite different than media scape-goating, citing the City of Sherrill vs. Oneida Indian Tribe case, which holds that tribal sovereignty will not be restored just because the historically tribal land was repurchased. Essentially, land that has been Indian land for generations (hundreds of years) that has moved to other hands, often through illegal processes, becomes no longer accessible by Natives. Torres highlights how such cases are unfortunately common, and that Native rights are consistently challenged, denied, or whittled away, despite constant effort to maintain them. Her writing is enriched by deep research and an awareness of mainstream media bias; she is careful and methodical in making her points clear and well-informed.
Again, aware of media presentation and public biases and false perceptions, Torres notes that the Obama administration has been trumpeted for making federal recognition “easy." While the changes to the process of federally recognizing tribes have definitely made it easier for Natives to have their tribes recognized, the process remains far from “easy”. Torres succinctly writes:
Rebuilding a tribal nation’s infrastructure after nearly four hundred years of purposeful demolition is difficult, and over the last decade, has been further complicated by U.S. Supreme Court rulings. And, by the way, this is a national issue – affecting the future of Indian peoples across the country – and none of the local media outlets are reporting on that.
Beyond defending her own community, Torres recognizes the jeopardy of all tribal Nations and peoples. While she writes from her own tribal perspective, her writing reaches beyond their sphere and recognizes the national import of these issues, both in the media, and in their impacts on the many Native peoples involved.
Torres writes beyond her own tribe, remarking that tribal recognition is only one issue amongst many that Native people face in a global context. Showing her vision beyond the local, Torres notes that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, released in 2007, announced that the rest of the world “must understand, negotiate with and live among the world’s indigenous populations" (Torres). The Declaration had been in process for over twenty-five years by the time it was revealed. Torres notes the magnitude of the many injustices Natives in our country must face, and the various frictions that exacerbate their ability to do so. As a powerful, persuasive living example, Torres has dedicated much of her life to fighting these injustices and educating other people about them, so that maybe they can do the same.
CharterOak State College. "Alumni Spotlight: Ruth Garby Torres." CharterOak State College. Jan. 2010. Web. 18 Apr. 2015.
---. Alumni. CharterOak State College. 2015. Web. 18 Apr. 2015.
Rose, Christina. "Connecticut Attacks Proposed Fed Rec Revisions, Fears Land Claims, Casinos." Indian Country Today Media Network. 10 June 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
Indian Legal Program. "Speaker Biographies." Who Decides You're Real? Fixing the Federal Recognition Process. January 16-17, 2014, Arizona State University, College of Law, Ventana Ballroom, Tempe, AZ. Tempe, AZ: Indian Legal Clinic, 2014. Web.
Rodriguez, Karla. "Spotlight on CAWP Member Ruth Garby Torres: A Woman of the Future." Connecticut Association of Women Police. Hollis Internet Marketing, LLC, 2011. Web. 18 Apr. 2015.
Torres, Ruth Garby. "Op-Ed: Six Things You Did Not Know about the Federal Acknowledgment of Indian Tribes." The CT Mirror. The Connecticut News Project, 03 June 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
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