By Raena Hunter Doty
Arts & Features Editor
The Henry Whittemore Library hosted the unveiling of the new Native American land acknowledgement mural Sept. 4.
The mural was created with the goal of recognizing the Indigenous Nipmuc people as the original inhabitants of the land that is now Framingham State University and building bridges with the Nipmuc community.
Four student artists - Andreas Chaniotakis, Marcus Falcão, Jaclyn Gattonini, and Zoe Holland - painted the mural with guidance from Marc Cote, chair of Arts & Music. They collaborated with members of the Nipmuc community throughout to ensure a respectful depiction of the tribe.
Jeffrey Coleman, vice president of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement, welcomed the guests to the event.
He explained that land acknowledgements recognize the original stewards of lands that have since been colonized.
“The development of a land acknowledgement should be motivated by genuine respect and support for Native peoples,” he said, and added it’s important for land acknowledgements to involve the Native peoples they’re supposed to honor in the process of the development.
“We desire that this land acknowledgement mural represents the confirmation of continued connections and working relationships with the Native Nipmuc tribal community,” Coleman said.
President Nancy Niemi gave the University greeting.
She said the power of art is evident in the way it is used to control and dominate marginalized peoples, and because of this, it also can be used to do good.
Niemi emphasized the power of collaboration between people of different cultures and ages.
“In the act of co-construction, the art becomes much more than the work itself,” she said.
“Framingham State University is committed to being an integral part of the surrounding communities, and this mural that we celebrate today is surely a remarkable public example of this,” Niemi said.
Steven Goler, chief of the Nipmuc Tribe, gave his blessings for the mural after its unveiling.
He said the Native Nipmuc people “were displaced, but we survive.
“Our roots are deeply embedded into Natick, into Framingham, and I’m honored - we’re honored,” Goler added.
He led a prayer and thanked everyone for their attendance. Cote described the process of the mural’s creation, which he said started when Coleman reached out about the possibility of a project like this. He also thanked Rebecca Hawk, FSU’s tribal relations community liaison, for facilitating the conversation. He said this type of experience helps students become more confident in their skills as artists, and that the mural involved a lot of student research and learning. Cote pointed out a few of the most prominent aspects of Nipmuc culture that are depicted in the mural, including “connection to nature, connection to water, connection to land, respect for wildlife, the maternal society, and respect for elders.” Cote said to honor the history of the Nipmuc tribe, who were sent to Deer Island during King Philip's War in the late 17th century, the student artists depicted an island covered in dark clouds on the right of the mural. He added, “But to the right side of the island, there’s a bit of light - a bit of sunshine - on the shore to suggest the positivity of the future of the Nipmuc Tribe and what happened since that time and to show that ongoing vitality.” Cameron Greendeer, an Indigenous person from the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, performed solo, singing and drumming a traditional song from his tribe. He said he was honored to perform at a ceremony honoring another Indigenous tribe, and that he was especially glad to see representation of Native peoples in higher education, “considering most of us, as Native peoples, have the lowest rates of higher education and lowest rates of high school graduation.” Greendeer said his song was a round dance song, which traditionally involves the audience holding hands and standing in a circle. “This is bringing that spirit back to us, so that we’re all doing this together,” he said. He said the songs he was performing were never written down, but rather passed on through memory from one person to another. “Some of these songs are hundreds, if not thousands of years old,” he said. Greendeer said storytelling is also often passed along orally instead of through writing, and he doesn’t want to share much of his Native language with an open audience because he would rather share those traditions with his children and his community. Shawnee Turner, the medicine woman for the Nipmuc Tribe, danced to his second song, a dance that Greendeer said was an “eastern blanket style of dance.” He said it is “a very graceful dance, and it’s a very powerful dance.” Greendeer said he uses his performances to try to educate people about the persecution that Indigenous peoples face, “but also to give you guys some moments of triumph for us as Native people.” He said he mentioned the lack of education in Native communities to raise awareness about the issue, and he himself struggled to graduate high school and only went to college at Bridgewater State University when he saw his wife, a member of the Wampanoag Tribe, studying for her Ph.D. Maria Turner, chairwoman of the Nipmuc Tribe, gave the closing remarks. She thanked everyone who worked on the mural for all their hard work, and said the Nipmuc people have resided in Framingham and surrounding cities for a long time. Maria Turner highlighted some of the progress the Nipmuc people have made toward regaining sovereignty for their tribe, including a recent vote to open up a dam, which would allow fish to repopulate the water and the ecosystem to grow back to its natural state. She said she is always amazed by people complaining about coyotes in their backyards - though she admitted that she does too - because “we’ve encroached on their territory. We’re moving all the trees in the woods so they can’t hide from us anymore. “We have to remember that,” Maria Turner said. She said she worked in the Department of Children & Families for 25 years and now, working for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, she’s doing a lot of the same work helping with situations involving abuse and neglect. Maria Turner said a lot of Indigenous children are dying young from suicide and overdose, and they also get exposed to their parents going through these same issues, causing them to be raised by family members. She said though common discourse has pushed for people not to think of college as their only choice, Indigenous communities have another factor complicating the issue of education - they’ve often not been allowed in higher education. “You don’t have to,” Maria Turner said, but Indigenous communities should have access to postsecondary education “so we can move ourselves out of this plight that we’re in.” She added therapy can also be a powerful tool for Indigenous people, “and we as a people have to learn to trust that process, and a lot of us need to go into that process, so we can help our sisters and brothers and cousins and allies and friends and communities to thrive.” Maria Turner said the mural event “really rejuvenates us.” Jerome Burke, director of the Center for Inclusive Excellence, gave thanks to everyone who helped out, and reminded the audience of what the mural is for. “Let us carry forward the lessons we’ve learned today about the rich history and vibrant culture of the Native American communities, particularly the Native Nipmuc tribal community,” he said. “This mural is not just a culmination of months of hard work, but also a symbol of our ongoing commitment to recognizing and honoring the Native peoples who have shaped this life,” Burke said. [ Editor’s note: Marcus Falcão is a Staff Illustrator for The Gatepost. ]