Celebrating Native American Heritage Month
For over twelve thousand years, Indigenous Peoples have been the caretakers of our watershed, fostering deep, interwoven relationships with the river and advocating for its protection
Despite enduring the profound impacts of colonization––including displacement, dispossession, and violence––the Massachusett, Nipmuc, and Wampanoag Nations have not only survived but thrived. Today, these Nations are experiencing a resurgence, keeping their cultural practices vibrant, strengthening community bonds, leading the charge for climate justice, and creating pathways for Indigenous youth to thrive.
This Native American Heritage Month, we honor the river's original name, Quinobequin, and emphasize the crucial role of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in our efforts to restore the Charles River and prepare for the challenges of climate change.
In June 2024, we partnered with Indigenous Peoples Day (IPD) Newton for the second annual Quinobequin Intertribal Paddle, bringing together Indigenous community members, river enthusiasts, and environmental advocates to celebrate our shared commitment to protecting the Charles River and its natural flow. Watch the short video below to learn about the importance of dam removal for Indigenous Sovereignty.
THE QUINOBEQUIN
"When the land stretched far out into the ocean, when the glaciers pushed forward the sandbar that we now call Cape Cod, the ancestors of the Wampanoag, Nipmuc, and Massachusett people were the first to set foot on the newly revealed soil. Over 12,000 years, they watched the ice melt and retreat, forming bays and flooding the lowlands, creating islands from the mainland… our river began its meandering journey westward to meet the ocean. Then, our river was known by another name, #Quinobequin," writes Hartman Deetz, Mashpee Wampanoag.
CLIMATE CHANGE & INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
"As Wampanoag people, we have been here in southern New England for over 12,000 years. We have seen the glaciers melt, the oceans rise. We have watched the coastline change, evolve, and retreat. We have always understood this process is so much bigger than us, and rather than trying to bend nature to our will, understood that we had to listen to the land itself. We also understood we did have the ability to impact the world we lived in, for better or worse. While we may not be able to stop the rain and snow that cause the rivers to swell and overwhelm their banks, or to hold back the rising tide ahead of a storm, we understood the value of the many varied parts of the land and our responsibility to protect them.
Indigenous ways of life kept the swamps and wetlands healthy and full of #biodiversity––providing crucial resilience and habitat for all of life. Swamps and wetlands were vital sources of food, medicine, and materials. The young thin cedar saplings were used to frame houses, and yet the practice of clear-cutting was never used, instead sustainable practices of selective cutting, and thinning the trees ensured the forests could thrive for future generations.
Today, Indigenous peoples have only 5% of the world's territory, but those lands contain over 80% of the world's biodiversity. As our climate changes in dramatic ways, we need to radically restore our relationship with our lands, and learn from Indigenous ways to restore ecosystems and ensure our collective survival."
