The Historical Nipmuc Tribe are all descendants of the original
inhabitants of Massachusetts, of the Nipmuc people who’s homeland has always
been from around the Ct. River in Ma. to Natick Ma. The tip of Southern NH,
Northern CT, and Northern RI. Nipmuc is the Algonquin word for “People of
the Fresh Water.” At the the Time of contact there were over 27 bands of
Nipmuc People. The Historical Nipmuc Tribe are Nipmucs who are
interrelated, who moved together through time through Nipmuc land to the
present. They were semi nomadic within their boundaries, moving as the
seasons changed and following the Game and fish runs, such as the great
Salmon runs. Ceremonies would be held around this because it symbolizes
rebirth and renewal. The Land has always been Sacred to us, and the months
are marked by the moons which are 13 in all. This gave a more accurate
account of the seasons, hence prevented a need for a leap year. Even after
the arrival of the pilgrims, there was not a lot known about our tribe by
the English, due to most of them living inland and most settlers at the
time considered west of Boston “ savage wilderness” It wasn’t until around
the late 1640’s when a Missionary named John Elliot who had been successful
Christianizing many of the Wampanoag people of the coast, decided to
expand his mission to the interior Tribes. John Elliot would become famous
through history for being the first minister to “ christianize the salvages
in the neww world”. Pray or be shot, many times was the real method of
conversion. Elliot would establish “Praying Towns”; Villages set aside
for the Nipmuc Converts. With the help of local Natives, notably a Nipmuc
man named “ James the Printer”, he helped John Elliot write the first Bible
in the New World translated in the in the Native Language. The Nipmucs
were not allowed to leave these Praying Towns, they were subject to be in
prison or executed. This was the first establishment of which would be
later referred to as Reservations. Although Elliot’s goal was to spread the
Gospel, the Settlers and the newly established General Court of
Massachusetts enjoyed this because it moved the Nipmucs aside and made room
for more White settlement and unfettered encroachment. Some Historians
recount Rev. Elliot as a friend of the Nipmucs, however that is subjective,
he allowed hundreds of Nipmucs to give away their Land and watched while
they were tricked out their homeland from Settlers eager to start farming,
perhaps his goals were good but the outcome was disastrous. If the Nipmucs
would try to return to their Land the settlers would say it’s now their
land, and run them off. All while this was going on, there was a steady
rebellion; Medicine Men and Chiefs were outraged that their Religion was
being stripped away and spoke out against it. Needles to say the Chiefs
were ignored and Nipmuc Religion was dismissed as childhood superstition,
other Leaders were not so peaceful and there was talk of going on the War
Trail such as one of our great Nipmuc War Chiefs Muttawump. It was beginning
to turn into a battle of souls, Elliot trying to convert the Indians and
Nipmuc Leaders trying to hold on to their Culture. Shortly after, things
really heated up when the Son of the famous Massasoit of the Wampanoag’s
(the one who greeted the pilgrims) saw his father’s dream of peace and unity
with the English slip away, Massasoit’s Son was known as King Philip. In
front of hundreds of freedom fighters both Nipmuc and Wampanoag he
delivered a fierce message: “Brothers! Sisters! look at your land, look at
your children, we are sick and many dying, we have no food for the White’s
are killing all the beaver and Deer, and taking all the furs to trade it
for gold, he keeps our brothers foolish with strong drinks, his animals are
destroying our corn fields and the ways of our Grandfathers are being
mocked and ignored, and when we go to the White’s for help, he says go away
I have no use for you!. The English is the father of all this, and in the
end he will drive us off our land !” Shortly after this, was the beginning
of the King Phillips War of 1675. White Settlements where systematically
burned to the ground, settlers would say the Indians were like thunder on
the edge of a cloud, nobody was safe. This was the bloodiest war on American
soil to this date per ratio of people. The
English were desperately waiting for reinforcements from England, all while
the War was Going on, the Praying Towns still stood. Some Nipmucs left to
join the Rebellion but many where so Christianized, they refused to leave
and sided with the English. Which turned out to be to their own detriment.
All those Nipmucs who never drew arms against the Whites, and who where
Baptized and abided by the law not to leave the Praying Towns were all
imprisoned. The Whites decided they couldn’t tell one Nipmuc from the other
so they interned hundreds of Nipmucs at the infamous Deer Island Internment
Camp, off the Coast of Boston. They were chained and shackled, and taken
there by horse and buggy, others were taken down by the Charles River in
Canoe, this was in the Fall of October 1676. Hundreds would starve and
freeze to death making Deer Island a mass Grave site. Many were stole off
the Island by other ships and sold into slavery. The War was going well for
the Nipmucs, they lead dozens of successful campaigns, like at Hadley,
Deerfield , Brookfield and Springfield ,but after a while, many Warriors
died and the English were getting reinforcements. While on the other hand
the Nipmucs couldn’t get anymore, couldn’t replace those who died, any
Indian seen was shot on site or sold into Slavery , so those who didn’t
fight, fled to Canada as well as to the West, which is Today known as the
“Brother town Settlement” in upstate N.Y. Some also went as far as
Wisconsin. By the End of the King Phillips War , thousands of Nipmucs Where
dead, homeless and displaced. Those who survived Deer Island was set free
after the war to return to the Praying Towns. But by then most of the Bands
and villages have been destroyed by the war and eventually by the late 1700s
the praying town system ended, some of the main places our people returned
to is Natick, Hassanamesett, and Wabaquasett. The Historical Nipmuc Tribe
is the Direct descendants of those who were on Deer Island. We mostly
settled after leaving Natick in the late 1700s, back to Wabaquasett( also to
note we are the only Nipmuc Band who had the History of living in long
Houses as well as Wigwams) which is North Eastern Ct. We never Forgot who
we are. We still to this day go back every Fall To Deer Island for a
Memorial Ceremony to honor all those who died there, this is always a big
event. Many times Tribal Leaders from other Tribes are present, along with
local politicians on hand. Through the centuries Deer Island has been
through a lot of changes, at one time being a prison, today it’s a site for
the Massachusetts Waste Water Treatment Plant. Nipmucs and other local
Natives continue to work hard to protect the Burial Grounds of all those who
died such a horrible death, and are presently working with the Boston
Harbor Island Alliance and the State of Massachusetts to create a permanent
Memorial Site and Monument. Lucy Vickers, was one of our noted elders of
this who practiced traditional herbal healing . They held regular ceremonies
out in the woods where they lived, and for the most part stayed together. By
the late 1800s and early 1900s our people made Native baskets, and blankets
and sold them door to door as a way of making money for their families. We
were involved with other local Tribes such as the well known Indian
Algonquin Council of 1923 (documented in the Haffenreffer Museum in RI)
with such noted people as the famous and adored Gladys Tantaquidgion of
the Mohegan Tribe. Through the years Tribal Elders kept the culture
strong, teaching us the tradition of spear fishing, how to grow our
Traditional Tobacco, Also corn, beans  and squash known as the 3 sisters. Growing up
We still remember we ate Succotash, Fiddleheads, and Turtle Soup on a
Regular basis. And one of our Nipmuc delicacies was Eel, some of the other
local Tribe’s could not stomach it but we loved it, and still do! The Elders
taught us Drumming and Ceremonies and to honor the Salmon and learn from
them. During their time needless to say they faced much discrimination, as
well as alcoholism, which still ran rampant through our people, killing off
whole families. They faced all the hardships you can imagine, watching a
world change and pretty much leave them out of it .During all of that we
held on to much of the Culture as we could, going to Powwows keeping social
contact with other Indians and Tribes, but for the most part staying
together as a Tribe. . We continue to keep our Culture alive and share with
other Tribes. The Historical Nipmuc Tribe was instrumental in bringing
about a Proclamation in the City of Springfield Ma. Where we held a Special
Ceremony on the steps of City Hall before the Mayor and other officials
creating a Native American Day. We also Helped rebuild the Springfield
Science Museum where Tribal Members Recreated a Native Village for the
city, Later that year the Springfield Science Museum in Conjunction with
The Historical Nipmuc Tribe kicked off a Powwow to celebrate the new Village
which will be an annual event in October ! There were hundreds of spectators
on hand as a part of this Celebration. We Invited the US Fish and Wildlife
to be a part of the Event which they and had Live Salmon on had for
educational purposes , Thought the day We were able to speak about the CT.
River and the Salmon and show what precious creatures live their. We also
took part in the Rededication Ceremony of the King Phillip Stockade, which
today is a Park which was once the Strong hold for King Phillip and hundreds
of Nipmucs against the English during the King Phillips War. There were
Members of the Wampanoag Tribe , Senators and Congressmen on hand, and also
our friends from the U.S Fish and Wildlife from the. NH office, we had
Tribal Members pass out pamphlets and they explained to them how special the
Salmon are to the Nipmuc People. which we are proud to say we have worked
along side them, to come up with ways to help protect the Salmon and other
Wild Life, and we also performed our Ancient Ceremony of blessing the river
and the Salmon. We were guests at the National Congress of the American
Indian Conference held at the Mohegan Sun. We gave a lecture on our Culture
during a diversity day at the State Capital House of CT. We shared at World
Children’s day hosted by CT. College sponsored by the United Nations. Where
we shared our Traditional Drumming, which we are proud to say are the
Quabbin Lake Singers. One of them was Featured in the Weekly Reader Magazine
in honor of practicing his Culture. We have done events for the Jerry Lewis
Telethon along with hundreds of grade Schools, Colleges and Museums through
the years where we share and talk about who we are, give demonstrations, and
lectures, such as Tufts University, Holy Cross College, Boston Children’s
Museum, MT. Wachusett College, Massachusetts College of Art, Peabody
Museum of New Haven CT. University of Massachusetts, The Smithsonian Museum
of the American Indian in Washington DC, Quinsigamond College, Conn.
College, University of CT. Where we gave a lecture concerning lead and
asbestos poising and how it effects Native children in poor areas and what
we can do to prevent it. This was done with the North Eastern Consortium of
States and Tribes . Special programs at the Learning Tree in Hartford CT,
The Mashantucket Museum and Research Center. We traveled to Quebec, and
Ontario Canada to talk about our people, and share with other Natives, such
as the Awkawsasne Reserve in Ontario. We’ve worked with local churches,
South Congressional Church, to set up youth programs and Native outreach
programs. We also conducted programs with the Blackstone Valley Boys and
girls Club our main focus was to teach them how to protect the Land, lakes
and rivers.. We did joint programs with the Boston Harbor Alliance were we
gave lecture‘s on how important it is to protect the Coastlines of our
State . This is just a small sketch of who we are, traditionally sometimes
there are not the words to describe our oneness with the land and our
Ancestors .Our mission remains the same, protect the Culture and the Land.
We Pray for a bright future for our people and continued service to
protecting the environment. We hope to have our own Land again for a
central place to practice our ceremonies and to have a place for Nipmucs
to come together. We envision setting up a Nipmuc village and bringing
Schools, Colleges, Boys and Girls Club or any other organizations who wishes
to learn first hand about the original people of Massachusetts, to teach
them history and culture , also to set a small Museum of our own to let
people see the past of our people, and also see the works of present day
Nipmuc Artists and Crafters, also a place to have Elders come to receive
health screenings, and check ups, alcohol and drug prevention classes, and
teach the youth about living smoking free, have a food pantry on hand for
those in need, not just for Tribal members but also to share with our
community at large. On any land that is returned to us or purchased we will
be the guardians of it. Planting trees and Gardens taking the youth on
nature walks, if large enough ,we envision a poultry farm or other
agriculture means as a way to generate much needed funds for our people. But
first and foremost is to keep the land precious and low impact as our
Ancestors would. We are proud to have the support of the Massachusetts State
Senate in Recognition of protecting the land and Preserving the Culture.
In 1996 Governor William Weld declared August 17 of every year, Nipmuc
Heritage Day. This was done on behalf of our Vickers - Nipmuc Reunion in
1996 in Sturbridge Ma. Even though many of the Elders have passed away, the
culture, and traditions of our  Hundreds of  Tribal members, goes on. Our
Elders blessed our Tribal Drum with Our Sacred Pipe back in 1992. Today
Larry Spotted Crow Mann is the Drum Keeper, which is a Sacred Trust to our
Tribe . The Historical Nipmuc Tribe continues to assert it's Inherent
Sovereignty to Promote our Tribes Social, Cultural, Educational, Economic
and Political Progress under the Inherent Sovereign Authority of Our Tribe.
TABATNE! (Thank You).