GREAT BARRINGTON — A decade ago, Brene Brown splashed onto the self-help scene with a TED Talk that hinged on an empowering idea: When we deny the story, it defines us; when we own the story, we can write a brave new ending. For those grappling with their past, Brown offers noble advice for moving forward. But what about those whose stories — for having been told erroneously for far too long, or not at all — have been erased?
While local knowledge of the centuries-old history of the Mohicans has evolved along with their moniker — the indigenous people called themselves the Muh-he-con-neok, the People of the Waters That are Never Still — one fact remains constant: they were uprooted and forced to move multiple times, ultimately from New England to Wisconsin, where the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians presently resides. This month, in fitting tribute to our region’s rich history, the Berkshires will officially pay homage to the ongoing legacy of these people, displaced by colonists, in the weeks leading up to Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
“The Indigenous perspective on life and, in a sense, the stewardship of our environment, is the most essential perspective for our future,” Lev Natan told The Edge in a recent interview. “Without it, we’re not going to survive.” Natan is the founding director of Alliance for a Viable Future, a nonprofit whose mission brings together community and organizational leaders in the Northeast bioregion to generate a whole-systems paradigm shift. The local observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Great Barrington, on Monday, Oct. 11, will include drumming, traditional Native American songs, speeches, and a procession culminating in a ceremonial blessing of the Housatonic River, and will serve as the centerpiece of a four-event program organized by the local grassroots organization.
“The commemoration is inspired, in part, by Randy Weinstein and Gwendolyn VanSant of the W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee, who, in 2019, asked the Town of Great Barrington to join a growing movement of towns, cities and states around the country who are recognizing the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” said Natan in a press release. The aim is to acknowledge and heal the wounds of the past, honor the Native American ethic of respect and care for the natural world, and integrate Indigenous values into our response to climate change.
“We need to draw down carbon [emissions] to keep our atmosphere in balance … and there is a whole scientific approach to that which, frankly, is insufficient without the guidance of Indigenous wisdom,” said Natan, who points to what he sees as our most high-tech solution: our forests, grasslands, and oceans, which “draw down carbon better than any technological solution that is being invented currently.” Globally, when it comes to land stewardship, roughly 80 percent of our conservation lands and natural habitats are under the stewardship of Indigenous people, a fact Natan calls, “very practical,” despite just 5 percent of the human population being part of Indigenous communities.
“We can’t heal climate change if we can’t heal our relationship with one another, and we can’t heal our relationship with one another if we don’t heal climate change,” said Natan of the current sink-or-swim situation facing humanity. “We are all on the Titanic,” he said, going on to quote Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who said: “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”
This evening, “Listening Deeply: Indigenous Voices Panel Discussion,” aims to educate our community in preparation for Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The event will take place from 6–8 p.m., in person, at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire in Housatonic and on Zoom. Shawn Stevens, Jake Singer, Bonney Hartley (from the Mohican Cultural Affairs Office), and Carol Dana (a Penobscot Language Master) have been invited to speak on the panel.
The final event, “Moving Forward Together: Integration & Next Steps Workshop,” will take place on Sunday, Oct. 17 from 1:30–4:30 p.m., also at the Unitarian Universalist meeting house in Housatonic. The program kickoff, “Building-Community: Equinox Campfire & Potluck,” was held September 23.
“The purpose of this entire program, a four-event series that stretches from [mid] September thru October 17, is to establish a deep connection with the Indigenous history of our place. By acknowledging this part of our past, we are able to bring healing to our community, in the present, and move forward into the future, with greater trust and unity,” Natan said of work that “should have been done hundreds of years ago, if not just yesterday.”
True to its name, the Alliance for a Viable Future is building local support and participation by working with the Berkshire Food Co-op, Mahaiwe Theater, Sacred Oak Homes, Big Elm Brewery, NAACP–Berkshire County Branch, and grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council through five local councils (Great Barrington, Monterey, New Marlborough, Stockbridge, and West Stockbridge); and the Christopher Reynolds Foundation. “People want this to happen,” said Natan, who has been humbled by the outpouring of support from local organizations, businesses, and individuals in the community. New sponsors and partnerships are being sought to make this an annual program with coordinated events in communities throughout the Northeast bioregion.
“This is an attempted genocide on our soil that has not been acknowledged by our federal government,” said Natan, calling Indigenous Peoples’ Day “a step towards that acknowledgement,” one being taken by towns, cities, and states across the country (including a bill in Massachusetts that is currently gaining traction) to change the calendar — a move Natan hopes will force the federal government to do the right thing, sooner or later, hopefully during this administration.
For the time being, Natan is committed to amplifying awareness and engaging in initiatives to advance the work at hand. “The use of Indigenous wisdom, values, principles, and ceremonial practices … is the way forward.”
NOTE: All events are family friendly and open to all. For planning purposes, event coordinators are asking people to register for each event separately, although no one will be turned away.
