October Mittark
Tribal Women Grow and Harvest King Philip Corn
A handful of Wampanoag women moved slowly through green, leafy corn fields on Monday, carefully freeing endangered King Philip corn cobs from the 10-foot-tall stalks that spread across Maushop Farm.
Lauren Peters, a Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal member, gently cracked a husk open and revealed gleaming rows of amber-colored corn kernels. This is Peters' third season growing the eight-row flint corn, but it's the first time in decades that the strain of corn has been grown by a cohesive group of tribal women.
"This harvest is an illustration of how much love, care and community went into the land. As we worked together, we were able to revive ancestral knowledge," said Lauren.
Since April, women from the Wampanoag Nation, the Narragansett Indian Tribe and the Shinnecock Nation have met to revive the growth of the corn.
The King Philip corn variety is named after Wampanoag intertribal leader Metacom, who was also known as King Philip. As she held her baby in one hand, and plucked corn from its stalk with the other, Danielle Greendeer explained that the corn was given to Europeans by Wampanoag people throughout the early days of English settlement. Much of it was destroyed during King Philip's War in 1675, and the strain almost went extinct during the rise of industrialized agriculture.
Elders’ Election on November 4th
Nominations Date: October 14, 2023 (Elders Meeting 11:00 AM at Tribal Community & Government Center). Nominees must be present at the October elders meeting to be nominated.
Election Date: November 4, 2023
Poll Hours: 11am to 1pm
Location: Mashpee Wampanoag Community and Government Center
Officers Term: Two Years (January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025)
OFFICERS PRIMARY DUTIES
The chairperson presides over the elders’ meetings; propose meeting agendas; sends out notifications of meetings.
The vice-chairperson attends elders’ meetings and presides over meetings in the absence of the chairperson.
The secretary attends all meetings and prepares the minutes of the meeting.
The treasurer is entrusted with the custody of the elders group funds; updates the elders on expenses, deposits, and the monthly bank balance.
“Revitalize 12 Acres” is a campaign focused on getting land back for a traditional pre-contact Wampanoag homesite, and utilizing that space to educate Wampanoag people and the public on our traditional ways. Many of us are familiar with the land we refer to as “12 Acres”, but a breakdown is included below for those who are not.
The land that we are trying to get transferred into tribal ownership, which many of us refer to as “12 Acres”, is made up of three land parcels: Parcel 2 (35 Lake Avenue), Parcel 3 (415 Main St.), and Parcel 80 (409 Main St.). Parcels 3 and 80 make up the wooded areas that abut Rt 1.30 between Dunkin Donuts and Naukabout Brewery. Getting this land back into tribal ownership and utilizing it for an educational homesite will be beneficial for several reasons.
Explore Additional News in this month's Nashauonk Mittark
List of Committee and Board Seat Openings
