This article is written with deep respect for the Indigenous and Native American legacies in hopes that we will all remain committed to learning more about the topic. There are several terms – Indigenous People, Native American and American Indian- that are used in context based on the content of those passages.
With November being Native American Heritage Month, Bay Path community members may want to learn about how we can educate ourselves and honor the Indigenous Native Americans of this country and the tribes that live(d) within our own backyards. If you’re looking to immerse yourself into the history of the Native tribes within the Western Massachusetts and Connecticut areas, here are a few experiences to directly hear and connect with humans that are descendents of Indigenous tribes in Western Massachusetts and beyond.
Founding of Native American Heritage Month
In 1990, more than seven decades later, then-President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating the month of November National American Indian Heritage Month. Similar proclamations have been issued yearly since 1994 to recognize what is now called National Native American Heritage Month.
According to the Census Bureau, the first American Indian Day was celebrated in May 1916 in New York. The event culminated an effort by Red Fox James, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, who rode across the United States on horseback seeking approval from 24 state governments to designate a day to honor American Indians.
In respect of Indigenous legacy, organizations also use land acknowledgments to identify the historical legacies of Native Americans. As noted in many land acknowledgments, the land in the surrounding areas are noted to be the homes of many tribes:
- Mohegan [moh-he-gahn] of Connecticut, or “The Wolf People,” Shown above is a totem pole honoring Omiskanoagwaiak, a medicine man of the Wolf People, outside Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts.
- Agawam
- Algonkian or Algonquians [al-gone-kee-en]
- Nipmuc [nip-muck]
- Wampanoag [wamp-ah-nawg]
- Pequot [pee-kwaht]
Activities and Resources
If you are wondering how you can learn more about the different Indigenous tribes of this area, there are local landmarks and reservations you can visit in Western Massachusetts and Connecticut. Here are three ways to virtually learn, read or visit Native lands and history.
- Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center (Foxwoods, CT) Learn about the Pequot Tribe. The museum has on-site and virtual tours. The Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center Virtual Tour
- King Philip's Stockade & Omiskanoagwaiak, a medicine man of the Wolf People - Forest Park, Springfield/Longmeadow, Massachusetts - Visit the land that overlooks Springfield as the Chief Metacomet’s (King Philip) warriors planned to attack the English colonists and where the Medicine Man of the Wolf People is honored.
- The Springfield Museums in Springfield, MA, also has a range of exhibits that feature Indigenous people. Their land acknowledgment is as follows: “The Museums are located on the traditional land of the Eastern Algonquian peoples–including the Pocumtuc, Agawam, Nipmuc, and Nonotuck–and we honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations and continue to steward it today. In the United States, we all stand on Native land in a country still shaped by a history of slavery and by racism. We gratefully acknowledge those who have come before us and those who continue to fight injustice today.”
We celebrate Native American Heritage Month as a way to learn about Indigenous Tribes, their culture and the history of the land we live on today. We honor the first people of this land, the struggles they endure and take time to understand how they view this land, that we call present day America and even more important, the land we call Western Massachusetts and the Connecticut River valley.
Sources to explore:
Land Acknowledgment - PDF
Native American Reservations, Explained
New England Native American Groups
Forest Park, Springfield, MA Maps - PDF
Three Centuries of New England History
Mohegan Tribe: Our Tribal History
Library of Congress: A totem pole, honoring Omiskanoagwaiak, a medicine man of the Wolf People, outside Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts
Our Plural History, Springfield MA - King Phillips War
Native Land Digital Map
