Charlestown Traditional #Indigenous #CanoeBurning First Time In 400 Years

Nov 5, 2022

CHARLESTOWN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — "Indigenous tribe members gathered in #Boston for a traditional canoe burning for the first time in four centuries. Members burned a large piece of white pine and carved out the inside to create a #mishoon, a traditional canoe.

"Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines Jr. of the #Nipmuc tribe said his group waited for five months to perform their graft inside Boston for the first time in 400 years.

"'My ancestors weren't allowed to do things like this anywhere near the city over the last 400 years,' Thomas Green, a Massachusetts tribe member, told WBZ's Kendall Buhl. 'We did not disappear, we did not die off, we are still here.'"

In the 1670s, a law made it punishable by death for an indigenous person to enter the city of Boston unless accompanied by a musketeer. The law banned indigenous people for almost 330 years. The ban was repealed in 2004."

Read more:
https://wbznewsradio.iheart.com/content/-charlestown-traditional-indigenous-canoe-burning-first-time-in-400-years/

#SettlerColonialism #NativeAmericanTraditions #Nipmuck #IndigenousTraditions #Massachusetts #PreservingNativeAmericanTraditions

Just saw a piece about #Nipmuc / #Nipmuck Mishoon burning on the news. The way they make the Mishoon was a lot like how I learned to burn bowls out of a piece of wood. It's too bad none of them own land on what used to be their tribal waterways. #SettlerColonialism and #RealEstate wheeling and dealing made sure that didn't happen. I hope that changes. #Landback

Preserving Our Heritage: The Art of Mishoon Burning

June 4, 2024 / By Barbi Gardiner

"The Nipmuc/k people have endured many challenges throughout history, from the arrival of European settlers to the impact of the Industrial Revolution. Despite these obstacles, our community has remained resilient, preserving our language, traditions, and connection to the land. The stories of our ancestors, their skills, and their knowledge continue to be passed down through generations, ensuring that our rich heritage is not forgotten."

https://www.outdoorapothecary.com/mishoon-burning/

#HassanamiscoNipmuc #ProjecvtMishoon #PreservingNativeAmericanTraditions

So, last Sunday, I went to go check out the group making a mishoon (canoe) via burning at Ltl Mystic Channel and they had FINISHED!
So I was lucky enough to be there when they put it in the water for the first time.
Congratulations on a successful burning and launch!
https://twitter.com/bostonpatch/status/1587903911175852032
Article on previous mishoon group made on Nipmuc land
https://olmstednow.org/more-than-a-mishoon

#BostonHarbor #Boston #Nipmuc #Massachusett #indigenous #mishoon