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Bringing together Pequot and Sister Nation Artists, the Kunâhneepamuhshâtunônak “Our Moons” exhibit illustrates who we are as a people and the importance of Indigenous relationships. Our new exhibit represents the Indigenous teachings of how the cycles of the moon have continually provided guidance and support for the original people of the Northeast through visual articulation of the language we call art. Our story lives on…
December
December is “Nikommo” our Gift Giving Moon. During this time we prepare for winter. Winter is known as the time of knowledge so we stay inside and share many stories and pass down histories to one another.
This a special time because it shows that our people are of modern people involved in a lot of the traditional activities of today but we also maintain our traditional ways of life and our culture.
On a turtle’s back, the pattern of scales establishes the combination of numbers that define the lunar calendar cycle. The circle of scales surrounding the edge adds up to 28, the number of days that comprise the lunar cycle.(28 days from full moon to full moon.) The center of the shell has a pattern of thirteen larger scales, which represent the 13 moons of the lunar calendar.
March
March is our Maple Sugar Moon our “Weekapaheek” Moon. It signifies Spring is here and is the New Year for our people, representing new life. In our Maple trees the frozen sugar within begins to melt and starts to become sugar water. The sap starts to leak and indicates these trees are ready to be tapped.
April
April is our Fish Moon. This moon is really important to us because this allows us to prep for horticulture. We believe the herring bring the warm weather.
May
May is our Corn Planting Moon. Corn is the oldest of the Three Sister’s. It’s one of the first crops that indigenous people domesticated, and it is a crucial crop today.
June
June is our Strawberry Moon. The strawberry is a sweet treat and the kickoff to summer. It brings forth the first berry of the year and here in Mashantucket we have a special ceremony that is about forgiveness using the strawberry.
July
July is our Blueberry moon. Mashantucket has a variety of different blueberries throughout the reservation.
August
August is our Green Corn Moon. We have our annual event called Schemitzun, a three day feast we call the celebration of the green corn harvest.
September
September is our Harvest Moon. The harvest moon is the last time of the year for us to harvest the last of our crops and prepare ourselves for winter.
October
October is our Cranberry Moon. This is a perfect time of year for harvesting most varieties of cranberries in this region.
October/November
October/November this is where the idea of a 13th moon comes in sometimes this moon is more in the summertime but a good portion of the time it will fall between October and November and we identify it as the Falling Leaf Moon.
November
November is the Hunting Moon. This is the time of year where it’s ideal time to trap animals like beaver and to hunt deer.
December
December is “Nikommo” our Gift Giving Moon. During this time we prepare for winter. Winter is known as the time of knowledge so we stay inside and share many stories and pass down histories to one another.
This a special time because it shows that our people are of modern people involved in a lot of the traditional activities of today but we also maintain our traditional ways of life and our culture.
January
January is our Wolf Moon. During this time food is becoming scarce so wolves stay closer to communities in hopes of scavenging scraps and can be heard howling more at this time of year.
February
February is the last our moons, the Snow Moon. This period of the winter is noted to have the heaviest snowfalls historically.
Wuyeekeesuk (good day),
I am the son of Joseph Carter III and Nancy Bonin. I am of Pequot, Narragansett, African American and Irish decent. I am happily married to my best friend, we have four beautiful amazing children and recently received the precious gift of our first granddaughter. I am currently the Executive Director of our Tribal community’s very own Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center. I am head over heels in love with the traditional art of wampum. I really enjoy the conversations around its traditional use, the Pequot’s relationship to the ocean and to address the perpetuated fallacy that wampum traditionally was money. I was fortunate enough to establish a strong relationship with the most talented wampum maker known in modern times, Allen Hazard (Narragansett). I am forever indebted to him for his gifts of wisdom and patience that transcends wampum making. I will continue to honor my ancestors, Allen and my family by teaching all those in my community who would like to learn. I feel blessed to carry on this most beautiful ancient tradition.
Kutaputush (I thank you),
Joshua “eye of the hawk” Carter
Traditional singer, dancer, speaker and carver, Jonathan Perry is grounded in the traditions of his ocean-going ancestors. He considers designs by examining the raw materials closely, and draws his images from the grain, hues, and patina of wood, stone and copper. Jonathan enjoys using the materials and knowledge handed down from his ancestors to express his understanding of the natural world as well as the changes over time since Creation. His mentors, like the late Nanepashemet (Tony Pollard) of the Wampanoag Nation, have taught him to observe and take special care when handling these materials, and breathing life into his pieces of art. Jonathan’s work embodies the refined quality of those of his ancestors, while still drawing upon his experience in a contemporary society. His pieces reflect balance within the Natural World, incorporating stories, effigies, and symbology of Wampanoag traditions.
Jonathan is influenced by his ancestors and his time spent on the ocean, something very close to him, being from an island Native community. Jonathan continues to use the materials and knowledge handed down from his ancestors to express his understanding of the Natural World and the change that it has experienced in the past four hundred years. Jonathan’s three dimensional artwork ranges in size from large, hand-carved dugout ocean vessels, to stone effigy pipes and high-end copper jewelry.
Jonathan is a direct descendant of the prominent Cuffe family out of Westport, and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. His relative, the notable Captain Paul Cuffe (1759-1817), was an abolitionist, businessman, and one of the most successful people of color in the United States. Paul would not have had the impact he did without the support of his Wampanoag family and community. The Cuffes, Wainers, and many subsequent Wampanoag whaling captains participatory in the New England Whaling industry in Jonathan’s family have helped to provide him with a unique eye for 19th century art, Indigenous history, and perspective. He brings this connection and expertise to his scrimshaw and his consultation with many historical organizations, scholars, and filmmakers.
An articulate and thoughtful speaker, Jonathan has lectured on the topics of Eastern Woodland art and traditions for over 25 years at both regional and national venues and his performing arts career has spanned over 30 years. These venues have included the Peabody Essex Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Harvard College and Brown University.
In his personal time, Jonathan enjoys spending time with his family and participating in cultural activities in the Native community. He particularly likes to collaborate with his sister, Elizabeth James-Perry on artwork, research and exhibitions.
Deborah Spears Moorehead an internationally known Wampanoag Artist, Scholar , Author, Historian, Entrepreneur, Native American Consultant, Cultural Bearer, Story Teller, Tour Guide, Music Composer, and Performer. She holds a Masters in Arts in Cultural Sustainability “2013” from Goucher College and a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Swain School Of Design “1981”
She is a Seaconke Pokanoket Wampanoag of Massachussets and Rhode Island and descends from Eastern Woodland Native American historic leaders. For example she is the direct descendant of Massasoit of the Pokanoket Wampanoag Tribal Nation, who in 1620 saved the lives of the PIlgrims from stravation upon their first arrival to Pokanoket Wampanoag homelands. She also descends from Pequot, Massachussett, Narragansett , Nipmuc, and Mohawk Tribal Nations. Deborah authored the books “Finding Balance The Oral and Written History and Genealogy of Massasoit’s People .” published by Blue Hand Books. She also authored and illustrated “ Four Directions at Weybossett Crossings” Both books are available at amazon.com. She owns and operates Painted Arrow Studio, Talking Water Productions. At Painted Arrow Studio, Deborah teaches, and produces a line of products that includes original art, sculpture, murals, prints, illustrations, music CDs and greeting cards. She also designs clothing, jewelry, fragrances, and soaps. She has recently begun roasting her own brand of “Good Energy” coffee.
Deborah is the owner and Director of Turtle Island Native American Tourism Company. TINATC provides homeland tours in a Indigenous person’s perspective and culture, at places of significant historic matter.
Her Art and Oral history is homeland based and every piece of her work has a unique story. She is interested in the values, strength, and beauty of Eastern Woodland Native American people and their ability to thrive into the future through adversity. Dispelling negative stereotypes as well as promoting awareness, and dialogue on the subjects of social and economic inequities, and environmental reform and justice are some of her goals. Creation, Oral Tradition, and stories of resistance, resilience and fortitude, inspire her.
White Hair Smiling is a Tribal Elder of the Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Nation. Both her Pequot tribal families were traditional Ash splint basket weavers since the 1800’s. Baskets are in her blood.
She is a master basket maker, teacher and has exhibited her work in many galleries, museums, powwows, Native Art Markets and two state houses. Her perfect imperfections are one of a kind coiled art, using pine needles, sweet grass, roots, vines and gourds. Her baskets and art are both traditional and in modern contemporary styles.
She learned to coil at 14 years old from her Narragansett tribal roots, but unfortunately put the challenge down for almost 50 years, exploring other forms of art while raising family. She enjoyed mosaics, oil painting and the international culinary arts through her restaurant. She moved to Fiji Island’s where she met and married her partner Koroi. She resided there for almost 18 years.
Upon returning to her reservation home at Mashantucket to help care for her mother and special needs adult son, tragically both her mother and son passed away only four months apart from one another. She turned to her traditional form of healing through the arts and working with her hands. The repetitive motion of coiling helped sooth her heart and the baskets poured out.
She chose coiling of the pine and grasses as her material because it takes time for young trees to grow and be big enough to be used for splint weaving. Why? She has revived the use of these materials, instead of using the sacred Ash Trees because of the Emerald Ash Bore Beetle. Global warming has encouraged the beetles to decimate the Ash trees and other basket trees native people have relied upon for centuries to provide a living for our families.
So a new challenge and her elders call to action at almost 70 years young to basket makers of all ages, “SAVE the healthy Ash trees and give them time to procreate, so the next generation of basket makers can have strong trees to make their baskets. Because you see, you can’t make good and useful baskets out of sick or dying trees. Your berries will spoil before you get them home to make pie!”
Dawn Spears (Narragansett) is the Director of the Northeast Indigenous Arts Alliance (NIAA). For more than twenty-five years Dawn has worked to support Indigenous arts as an artist, educator, demonstrator, and organizer. Most recently Dawn produced two of the largest and most significant markets in New England, the Indigenous Fine Arts Market East in 2016 and the inaugural Abbe Museum Indian Market in 2018. She is a 2020 Assets for Artists grantee, a 2015 RI State Council for the Arts (RISCA) Master Apprenticeship grantee and was the Community Artist in Residence at the New Bedford Art Museum in 2021. Dawn has exhibited at the most prestigious Indian art markets across the country including the American Indian Arts Marketplace at the Autry Museum in Glendale, CA, Heard Museum Indian Fair & Market in Phoenix, AZ, and the SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market in Santa Fe, NM. Dawn has served on the board of the Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum and Native Americans in Philanthropy and sits on several advisory’s (Brown University, Yellow Farmhouse, Tomaquag Museum, Abbe Museum’) continues to work consulting regionally and nationally supporting arts programming and business training for artists.
An active member of her tribal community, Dawn served as the Narragansett Indian Tribe’s Tribal Secretary for two terms and currently serves as chair on the Narragansett Indian Tribal Election Committee and vice chair for the Economic Development Commission. In 2014 Dawn and her husband of thirty-eight years formed the Narragansett Food Sovereignty Initiative, a farm-based organization devoted to reclaiming food and cultural ways for Narragansett people. They currently own and operate Ashawaug Farm in Ashaway RI. Dawn also enjoys her role as mother and grandmother. Dawn’s work within her family, community, and in the arts is driven by her belief in the preservation and education of culture and traditions.
Sparrow Jackson is a Native American beader & proud member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Her passion for beading roots from her indigenous culture. As an artisan, Sparrow enjoys creating custom beadwork designs reflective of traditional and modern flair for natives and non-natives throughout Turtle Island and beyond!
Brooke Waldron is a contemporary artist based in Hopkinton Rhode Island whose work focuses on exploring the relationship between color, nature, and a range of traditional symbolism.
Waldron creates large format paintings and ceramic work that are blended with visual language and technical skill.
She aims to bring the viewer closer to the unique power of the natural world and to provide an invitation to contemplate our kinship with it. In each of her works, Waldron speaks to a wider dialogue on the preservation and celebration of cultural values and honoring our four-legged relatives.
Matthew Pina is a self-taught fine artist who became conversant with his artistic abilities as a child. His natural talent was inherited by his father, who was also a fine artist. A painting by Salvador Dali, Swans Reflecting Elephants, inspired Matthew and ignited his desire to embrace his artistry.
In his work, Matthew esteems the human desire for love and intimacy. He uses different techniques influenced by his personal and spiritual experiences along with his culture to tell stories that evoke emotion, a distinct spontaneity that viewers experience as his art solicits conversation. Matthew’s form is
constantly shifting. He doesn’t limit himself to specific boundaries and is open to exploring different mediums. He aspires to educate through his body of work, which is part of his transdisciplinary approach to various topics. His elaborate composition draws interest, as there is a story embedded within
the context of the art that he portrays. Truly, there is substance to each story behind the canvas that keeps his audience interested and not just observing a handsome work of art.
Matthew is an evolving artist residing in Southeast Connecticut and has a background in Cultural Education for over a decade. He attended ACES Education Center for Arts and Cooperative Arts High School in New Haven, CT, his birthplace where he explored his love of painting. In 2009, he attended the
Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA, as he continued to emerge into his unlimited potentiality. He has been represented in galleries Warwick Center for the Arts in Warwick, RI and Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center in Mashantucket, CT.
Artist Statement
My goal is to transform, educate and impact the viewer spiritually, mentally and emotionally. I want to share my stories of culture, personal experiences and transdisciplinary research.
In my work I often celebrate our human desire for love and intimacy. I believe this desire points to humanity’s ultimate purpose- to be united with God and His wisdom.
Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines, Jr., is a citizen of the Nipmuc people. He serves as a cultural steward for his Tribe, is a father, public speaker, traditional dancer, Indigenous Activist for Indigenous rights, carpenter by trade and educator. With 17 years in recovery Andre is a recovery sponsor and integrated life coach for those in need. Andres work focuses on bringing traditional knowledge back to Indigenous Peoples. Some of this consists of how to flesh and brain tan hides to make items such as drums/waterdrums, buckskin, and blankets. This work is focused on cultural revitalization and preservation by also building traditional homes(wetus) and burning out dugout canoes(mishoonash). Andre is a board member of Native Land Conservancy (www.nativelandconservancy.org)and actively works alongside of various landtrust to create cultrual inventory reports and fights to make the LandBack movement visible. Andre is also the creative director of (www.noloosebraids.com)(@No_Loose_Braids) (https://linktr.ee/no_loose_braids) .Andre’s work is grounded in restoring balance between everyday life and traditional values while navigating the colonial systems we live in. Cultural revitalization, family, and traditions values are the driving force that keeps Andre ever diligent on his daily journey.
Angel Beth Smith served as a contributing curator and artist for the Kunâhneepamuhshâtunônak “Our Moons” exhibit. She has worked tirelessly over the years to establish herself as an Indigenous Artist. She took night classes at Rhode Island School of Design to perfect her drawing, as well as courses in business art and grant writing. She secured a working residency with the Turkey Land Cove Foundation to develop her showcase exhibition: The Indigenous Peoples Project. Angel curated various art exhibits throughout the Northeast and beyond, extending opportunities to many other Indigenous Artists to display their work. In 2023, Angel was the recipient of the distinguished Princess Red Wing Arts & Culture Award by the Tomaquag Museum of Exeter, Rhode Island. Angel’s work has also been published in the Directory of Illustration as a highlighted Indigenous artist. She also debuted her first solo show in October of 2022, The Indigenous Peoples Project: The Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Women, at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center. Angel’s work has been displayed at prestigious venues throughout Southern New England and beyond. Angel worked at Foxwoods Resort Casino and for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Government for nearly two decades, and her deep reciprocated admiration for the Mashantucket Pequot people was very evident. They became her family, and it brought her great purpose to love them, know them and serve them. Angel enjoyed her role as an artist, but her life ultimately was centered around her role as a mother.
Cherri Williams was born in Mashantucket, Connecticut in 1994 and is a member of the Mashantucket Pequot tribe. Her interest in art began in high school where she was taking art classes. Eventually, she went on to study at St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, North Carolina where she learned how to use digital art resources and hone her skills in fine arts. She graduated with a B.A. in Art in 2016. Cherri works primarily with acrylics and digital painting but has been known to dabble with India inks and watercolors. Cherri currently offers postcards and framed prints in the Mashantucket Pequot Trading Post under her studio name, Mimzical Feesh Studios.
Robin S. Spears, Jr., Narragansett Indian, is an award winning traditional artist utilizing items from the natural world to express his culture and
identity. He uses various resources from the eastern woodland coastallandscape including bark, roots, shells, antler, bone, furs, and other harvested materials. He creates a variety of traditional art including stone, bone, and antler tools, bows & arrows, axes, war clubs, dance staffs, rattles, fans, and traditional clothing. He creates earrings, necklaces, bracelets, hair ties, hair sticks, barrettes, arm bands, leg garters, and other adornment. He also makes baskets, bags, and a cradleboard. Robin has been a mason for over 30 years in his family’s business showcasing the Narragansett art of stone masonry. He recently retired as a Lieutenant of the Narragansett Indian Tribe’s Environmental Police Department. The care of the natural world is important to him culturally, artistically and professionally. He also served in the US Army as a Sergeant and also serves on the Native American Board on Veteran Affairs for USET (United South & Eastern Tribes). He also served on the Charlestown Parks and Rec and ran the teen and men’s basketball league. He was a volunteer fire fighter for the Cross’ Mills Fire Department. He has hunted, fished, gathered and harvested the gifts of the land and waters his whole life. Through his art he uses those resources to express his culture, lifeways of his people, respect for the earth, and his individual expression.
Talon Amado is a highly skilled stone mason from the Narragansett tribe, renowned for his craftsmanship and dedication to preserving the traditional stone masonry techniques of his ancestors. Over the years, Talon has contributed to numerous projects, creating beautiful and enduring stone structures that reflect the rich cultural heritage of the Narragansett people. His work is not only a testament to his skill but also a tribute to the resilience and artistry of his community.
Beyond his professional achievements, Talon is a proud father who cherishes his family deeply. He strives to pass on the values of hard work, cultural pride, and integrity to his children, ensuring that the legacy of the Narragansett stone masons continues for generations to come.
Troy Simmonds is a dedicated stone mason from the Narragansett tribe, known for his exceptional skill and commitment to the traditional stone masonry techniques passed down through generations. His work, which includes crafting beautiful stone walls and structures, is a testament to the enduring legacy of the Narragansett stone masons. Troy’s craftsmanship not only showcases his talent but also honors the rich cultural heritage of his people.
