PAWCATUCK EASTERN PEQUOTS

THIS LAST SUMMER I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, BOSTON ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD SCHOOL AT LANTERN HILL RESERVATION OF THE PAWCATUCK EASTERN PEQUOTS.

WE LEFT THE MAIN BLACK TOP ROAD AND TURNED RIGHT HEADED WEST ON A DUSTY DIRT ROAD JUST WIDE ENOUGH FOR TWO CARS TO SQUEEZE BY EACH OTHER. WE TRAVELED DOWN THE DIRT ROAD PAST LITTLE HOUSES AND TRAVEL TRAILERS. IT WAS NOT WELL KEPT UP. WE PASTED A LITTLE FIELD THAT WAS ON A HILL , I WAS TOLD THAT IT IS WHERE THE PAWCATUCK EASTERN PEQUOTS HAVE THEIR POW WOWS. FINALLY AFTER PASSING A COUPLE OF PORTABLE TOILETS, WE STOPPED BY A TRAILER AND SOME PARKED CARS.

WE GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND WE WERE MET BY DR. STEPHEN SILLIMAN, PROFESSOR OF ARCHAEOLOGY FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, BOSTON. WITH HIM WAS ROBERT "BOBBY" SEBASTIAN, AN ELDER OF THE PAWCATUCK EASTERN PEQUOTS. DR. SILLIMAN GREETED US AND PROCEEDED TO TURN THE CONVERSATION OVER TO TRIBAL ELDER BOBBY SEBASTIAN. BOBBY PROCEEDED TO SAY A PRAYER AND SMUDGE US. HE WANTED US TO HAVE GOOD FEELINGS WHEN WE ENTERED THE WOODS TO GO TO THE ARCHAEOLOGY SITE. STEVE THEN PROCEEDED TO TELL US ABOUT THE WORK THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCHOOL HAD DONE OVER THE YEARS AND WHAT THEY WERE DOING THIS YEAR.

WE THEN WENT INTO THE WOODS AND VISITED THE SITES. THE FIRST ONE WAS VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAD TWO CHIMNEYS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF A DWELLING. IT COULD BE THAT IT WAS USED AS ONE BUILDING AT ONE TIME AND SOME OTHER BUILDING AT ANOTHER TIME. WE THEN WENT TO WHERE THERE WAS A WALL IN THE SHAPE OF A CIRCLE. THE INTERESTING THING IS THEY HAD FOUND A DWELLING THERE, TOO. LOOKING AT IT NOW YOU WOULD NEVER HAVE KNOWN IT WAS THERE.

WE THEN PROCEEDED TO THE SITE THAT THE CURRENT SCHOOL WAS DIGGING. IT WAS NOT LIKE THE MOHEGAN FIELD SCHOOL WHERE EVERYONE SEEMED SO MUCH MORE TALKATIVE. THESE STUDENTS WERE MUCH MORE SERIOUS LOOKING. AT THIS TIME I MET TRIBAL ELDER ROYAL "TWO HAWKS" COOK.

AS I TALKED TO BOBBY SABASTIAN IT BECAME QUITE EVIDENT OF HIS DEEP LOVE OF THE LAND WE WERE ON. HE TOLD ME THAT WHERE WE HAD MET HIM AND STEVE WAS HIS TRAILER WHICH HE STAYS IN THE SUMMER TO BE NEAR THE ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD SCHOOL SITE. HE TOLD ME HOW HE WOULD HUNT IN THE WINTER FOR DEER TO FEED HIS FAMILY, AND HOW HE WOULD THANK THE CREATOR FOR THE GIFT OF FOOD HE WAS GIVEN. HE WAS THANKFUL THAT THE DEER HAD GIVEN HIS LIFE SO HIS FAMILY COULD EAT.

THE ELDERS TOLD ME THEY HAVE THE ARCHAEOLOGY SCHOOL PUT THE ROCKS BACK AT THE SAME LEVEL IN THE GROUND AS THEY WERE TAKEN. EVERY ROCK IS PUT BACK. AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE ELDERS GO OVER THE ARCHAEOLOGY REPORTS AND THE ARTIFACTS. THEY KEEP A COPY OF THE ARTIFACTS AND THE FIELD REPORTS. THEY DO THIS BECAUSE THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, BOSTON, STORES THEIR ARTIFACTS AND OTHER FINDS BECAUSE THE TRIBE HAS NO PLACE TO STORE THEM.

THE ELDERS AND I TALKED ABOUT THEM GETTING FEDERAL RECOGNITION AND HOW IT WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM THE TRIBE. THE TRIBE HAS BEEN ON THE RESERVATION FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS, YET THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT DID NOT WANT THEM TO GET FEDERAL RECOGNITION. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THERE WERE GAPS IN THEIR HISTORY AND THAT IS WHY THEIR RECOGNITION WAS CHALLENGED. COULD IT HAVE BEEN BECAUSE MAYBE SOMEONE DID NOT WANT THEM TO HAVE A CASINO? THE ELDERS TOLD ME THEY DID NOT CARE ABOUT A CASINO, THE RECOGNITION WOULD HAVE PROVIDED THE TRIBE MEDICAL BENEFITS AND OTHER THINGS THAT THE TRIBE REALLY NEEDS.

AS I DROVE OUT OF THE RESERVATION, I LOOKED AT THE TRAILERS AND THE HOUSES, THE DUSTY ROAD, I WISHED MY TRIBE FELT THE SAME LOVE OF THE LAND LIKE THE PAWCATUCK EASTERN PEQUOTS.