Narragansetts celebrate 351st annual meeting
By MIMI REITZ Beacon Media Contributing Writer
Indigenous men, women, and children danced with full hearts
and thunderous energy under a beating sun last weekend, swirling traditional
beaded, feathered, embroidered clothing across a field on Narragansett land as
their voices sung out to the thump of sacred drums. For these Narragansetts,
their annual powwow is both a celebration of the past and a declaration of
their continued presence.
While the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary,
this land has hosted these same dances and sacred traditions since “time
immemorial”, said Narragansett Chief Anthony Stanton. The Narragansett powwow —
the oldest recorded powwow in North America — brings thousands of Indigenous
tribe members together to celebrate the green corn harvest each August on the
sixth moon of the tribe’s calendar.
Today, the weekend means the heartfelt reunion of family and
friends from near and far, the chance to honor centuries of ancestral tradition
in community, and an invitation to the public to learn more about their
Indigenous neighbors, whose sovereign nation still thrives in
Charlestown.
“This is important to us because before there was the United
States of America, before there was the state of Rhode Island, this is the
territory of the Narragansett Indian tribe. We were here first,” said Chief
Stanton. The tribe cites archaeological evidence and oral history which
establishes their presence in what is today Rhode Island over 30,000 years ago.
Over centuries of bloody persecution since the first European colonists
arrived, the tribe survived massacres, war, disease, slavery, detribalization
and erasure to be here today.
Mary Starlight Stanton Brown, 91, board member of the
Narragansett Indian Church, has lived on Narragansett land her whole life and
has attended the powwow since she was young.
“It gives us hope and encouragement that one more year,
we’re still here. We still live,” she said. “In all these years, nothing much
has changed when it comes to August meeting.”
351 years and counting
According to recorded history, the Narragansett tribe has
held their powwow consecutively for the past 351 years. “It’s an important part
of our own history and legacy and continuation as a people,” explained Lorén
Spears, Executive Director of the Tomaquag Museum in Exeter and a member of the
Narragansett tribe. “It was something that we were able to maintain through all
of these years of conquest and colonization.”
The powwow brings together Indigenous people from across the
country. Chief Stanton said there were about 24 different tribes represented at
the event, creating a space for intertribal dialogue, support, and
celebration.
Larry Wilson, chair of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Council,
said that while some aspects of ceremonies between tribes differ, powwow events
always “celebrate in earnest the love that we have for each other, the love
that we have for our traditions, and what it is that makes Native Americans
strong, prosperous, loving, and healthy.” The annual meeting “reminds us of how
special the bond is between the tribes and among the tribes.”
By inviting members of the public to attend their sacred,
spirited meeting, many in the Narragansett tribe hope Rhode Islanders and other
visitors will better understand their community, history and traditions — and
recognize their contributions to this nation.
Tomaquag welcomes
The Tomaquag Museum invites visitors year-round to learn
about the Indigenous cultures of Southern New England, providing a first-person
voice on their culture and history through engaging exhibits and community
projects. The Tomaquag team shares dialogue with the public in their mission to
“reconcile the past and empower present and future generations.”
“There is no U.S. history without Indigenous peoples
history. There was no creation of this country without Indigenous people,” said
Spears. The museum’s new exhibit, “Revolution to Reclamation, Freedom Through
Indigenous Sovereignty” commemorates America’s 250th anniversary by exploring
Indigenous cultures’ contributions to its creation. The exhibit will run
through April 22, 2027.
Indigenous people were not merely witnesses to the creation
of the United States — they participated in it. Large numbers of members of the
Oneida, Tuscarora, Mohican, and the Stockbridge-Munsee tribes served alongside
American patriots during the Revolutionary War, including under George
Washington at Valley Forge. And Indigenous people have continued to serve —
maintaining the highest number of service per capita in the U.S. Armed
Forces.
Throughout this nation’s history, Indigenous individuals
have participated in every tenet of American life — from high-level politicians
and Congressmen, to astronauts, Olympians, and ballerinas. “Indigenous people
are here every day being part of this country,” said Spears. While tribal
governments maintain sovereignty, continuing their cultural knowledge
generationally, she emphasized that their members participate in American
society every day, saying “there’s this complexity that’s happening.”
Spears said the museum’s exhibits can spark “Aha!” moments
for visitors, who “leave having an understanding of what it means to be
Indigenous and what is still here.” The museum is open to the public on
Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the team at Tomaquag is
also available for schools and other groups interested in learning more through
presentations and dialogue.
Beacon Media photo by Mimi Reitz
Sharing a culture
At this year’s powwow, the thriving Indigenous culture and
community of today drew thousands to Narragansett land. Indigenous artists sold
handmade crafts, food vendors served traditional cuisine, including bison
burgers, fry bread, and smoked salmon. And under the auspices of Kawtontawitt,
Chief Sachem and Tribal Medicine Man John Brown, traditional ceremonies
unfolded throughout the day.
Dr. Darlene Flores, a traditional Medicine Keeper for her
Taino community (the Indigenous people of the Caribbean), spoke between dances
and ceremonies, introducing the public to the sacred instruments in use and
narrating the meaning of each ancient tradition. Tribal members thanked the
Great Spirit, their Earth Mother, their ancestors, and their elders for the
tribe’s continuation — a gratitude made visible as gaggles of children danced
eagerly alongside some of the oldest members in the community.
After years in which practicing their traditional culture
and honoring their ancient beliefs were shunned and made illegal, sharing
generations of Indigenous knowledge with young tribe members today is often the
most meaningful part of the weekend.
“I like to see the next generation of children out there
sharing culture, being part of the community,” said Spears, whose children and
grandchildren participated in the events. “Seeing them out there in their
traditional clothes, just feeling that pride of who they are as an Indigenous
person.”
As the drum of each new song began, the children couldn’t
wait — they buzzed with excitement, tapping their feet and stretching their
arms at the edge of the dance circle before bounding in, carefully matching the
steps of their elders. The voices that carried across the field and the gentle
patter of these feet had been heard and felt before them for generations. And
as they learned the steps, it was clear they would continue long after the
weekend was over.
Editor’s note: Lorén Spears is a member of the Ocean State Stories
Advisory Board.
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