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Date: 7/2/2019
CHICOPEE – If you’ve ever gone for a hike in the woods throughout New England and come across a grouping of stones, they may be more than initially meets the eye.
They could be Indigenous Ceremonial Stone Landscapes, according to Doug Harris, the deputy Tribal Historic Preservation officer for the Narragansett Indian Tribal Historic Preservation Office, during a presentation June 24 at the Chicopee Library.
“In the woods all across America, there are these stone groupings which date back to ancient times,” Harris explained. “These stones represented the place where someone was killed by an animal and the medicine person of the tribe had to go reharmonize the trauma caused to the earth by saying a prayer and bringing a stone.”
Harris said that while some stone groupings are just a collection, others could be pointing in the direction of something important to the tribe.
“Many times these would be calling on help from the stars,” he said.
Harris said many of these landscapes are being lost to land developers looking to build on the property and in the area of the landscapes.
“Many times, developers are unaware of these landscapes,” he continued.
“Others just don’t care if there is 1,000 years of history attached to them.”
Harris said it is up to the public to help protect and preserve these groupings.
“There are not enough Indians to protect all these landscapes, as they stretch down the East Coast and even into Canada,” he explained. “They will be destroyed if we don’t do something to protect them.”
Betina Washington, Tribal Historic Preservation officer for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head on Martha’s Vineyard, agreed.
“If we don’t protect them, they won’t exist,” she said. “These landscapes are very meaningful for native people.”
Washington said the biggest issue is if the landscape falls on city or town property.
“If there are on property owned by the city or town, how do we preserve it?” she explained.
Harris offered one solution.
“A city or town’s Historical Commission has the right to deal with anything considered archeological,” he said. “Ceremonial landscapes would fall under that category, so we do ask towns to help us in our fight to preserve them.”
Washington added that with their work, they have been able to begin a dialogue to discover and protect them.
“The ability to share these landscapes cross-culturally has been truly rewarding,” she said. “We are all one culture.”