It is beyond living memory since Nipmuc land has been this openly full of song, stories, and the smell of wood burning to create a mishoon.
Through rain or shine and day and night, Nipmuc tribal member Andre Strongbearheart Gaines Jr., Mashpee Wampanoag Hartman Deetz, and others worked on creating the mishoon on Nipmuc lands near Longfellow’s Wayside Inn last month.
The tree that became the mishoon had been listing disturbingly close to one of the inn’s buildings. It was the perfect size to be used to make a mishoon, according to Hartman..
Strongbearheart said they initially thought it would take seven to 10 days to burn the mishoon, but he suspects the ongoing drought made the wood easier and faster to burn.
Following a September ceremony and the Calumet dance performance, Strongbearheart, his nephews Daishuan and William Garate, and Chenae Bullock of the Shinnecock Indian Nation paddled the mishoon for the first time.
The mishoon will eventually be stored in the pond. Sunk with rocks, it will sit below the ice to preserve it, so it won’t dry out, crack and age over the winter. When it’s time to bring it above the surface again, the rocks will be dumped out, and the mishoon will float.
