Singing, dancing and culture fill Winchester Town Hall during Indigenous Peoples Day

Na-Pow-Sa Pocknett says there are people within his own culture who don’t take that culture seriously, but the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal citizen takes it very seriously.

And he shared that culture as one of the Red Hawk Singers & Dancers who performed at Winchester Town Hall on Oct. 13 during the Network for Social Justice’s 5th annual Indigenous Peoples Celebration.

“There are stories about our history that aren’t otherwise told,” said Rebecca Slisz, executive director of The Network for Social Justice, when asked why this day was important.

“I think it’s important for children to be exposed to the culture of the American Indians and to celebrate that culture,” said Gemma McCarthy, who brought her two daughters to the event.

Typically the event is held at Wright-Locke Farm, Slisz said, because NFSJ felt it was important to honor indigenous people in an appropriate way and because they are such stewards of the land, the farm was a perfect location.

But Monday’s nor’easter had other plans.

Inside Town Hall, children and their parents made the rounds making Wampanoag necklaces with Darius Coombs, also a citizen of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, and cornhusk dolls with his wife, Toodi Combs.

They also had a chance to learn about Lakota Youthstay, an organization that seeks to foster friendships between Native American children and children of Eastern Massachusetts, and check out Book Ends’ offerings of books celebrating Indigenous voices.

Residents also not only saw, but were able to touch various plants, leaves and tree or shrub branches that were/are used by Indigenous peoples for medicinal and other reasons — all of which could be found at Wright-Locke Farm.

“Mullen is the original Dr. Scholl’s,” said naturalist Jeff Adams, pointing to large long velvety soft leaves. “American Indians and colonists would line their moccasins or shoes with it when their feet were tired or hurting.”

Picking up a feathery leaved stem topped with clusters of small flowers, Adams said yarrow has been used medicinally for 60,000 years. Adams leads walks at Wright-Locke Farm, but credits Roland “Boot” Bootwell for his knowledge of flora.

There was even a legislative table at Monday’s event, explaining efforts to try and change the state flag, seal and motto driven by decades of advocacy from Indigenous leaders and others who view the current imagery as inappropriate at best.

And of course, there were the Red Hawk Singers & Dancers led by Chee Nul Ka Pocknett.

Getting to know the history

Chee Nul Ka Pocknett shared the story of his people from the arrival of the Mayflower to present day and he didn’t hold back on the tough parts.

While the Wampanoag Tribe helped the colonists through a brutal first year in their new world by feeding them, healing them and teaching them sustainable farming, they were repaid with broken promises and later violence, Pocknett said.

He added while they were not natural fighters, the tribe was forced to defend their land and their way of life. The first dance the dancers did represented the skirmishes between the colonists and the tribe and his drum beat represented musket fire.

But Pocknett also talked about how they are taught, starting at a very young age, to respect their elders and the harvest and the importance of “the three sisters,” corn, beans and squash and why they’re always grown together. He also shared stories, rituals and practices, like using a turtle shell to tell time and as a calendar.

“We don’t use the Gregorian calendar because it makes absolutely no sense,” he said, referring to the calendar most widely used today.

He also explained that their clothing and adornments are referred to as regalia.

“This is not a costume,” he said.

Pocknett said they mainly wear their regalia, which he likened to church clothes or one’s Sunday best, for official and special occasions.

And they danced. They danced The Crow Hop and a song honoring women, who are revered in their tribe, and the dancers got everyone up on their feet to join in a friendship dance.

“The only way you can mess this up is if you’re not smiling” Pocknett told the crowd as they formed two circles and moved to his song.

During a post-show Q&A, Chee Nul Ka, along with Na-Pow-Sa and fellow dancers, David Pocknett Jr. and Nicole Minetti, posed for photos and answered questions from kids and adults alike.

Na-Pow-Sa Pocknett said he likes to dance because “a lot of people can’t walk with us in the flesh, but they can walk with us in spirit,” and he feels that when he’s dancing. He invited curious kids to touch his hand-beaded (by his father) moccasins, the ring he danced with, which was covered in beaver fur and his robe or cloak was made to represent the wind and the prairies.

When asked how he maintains his values in today’s world, Chee Nul Ka Pocknett said he tries his best “to keep one foot in a shoe and one foot in a moccasin” in an effort to balance the values of today’s world with the values of his world.

“It’s a way of thinking and a way of being,” he said.

Chris Stevens is an award-winning journalist who has spent 25 years chasing, editing and photographing stories on the North Shore. She is the co-founder and managing editor of Gotta Know Medford.