Updated, Feb. 26
Through the artwork-covered halls of the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School and inside a large classroom, around 20 fifth and sixth grade students sat crossed-legged and watched with wide eyes as Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah member Brad Lopes chronicled Wampanoag history, culture, and ceremonial dress on a recent February afternoon.
“What do you think this is?” Lopes asked the room as he held up a fur pelt, explaining that it was used to swaddle babies. The fifth and sixth graders exclaimed the names of various animals until one correctly answered, “Beaver!”
The tradition of using animal pelts, Lopes explained, was to protect indigenous people from the cold weather, and in the case of beaver fur, to help water slide off on rainy days. He said the Wampanoag practice of using animal pelts is rooted in always using every part of the animal: bones, meat, and fur. The tradition is out of respect for nature and its gift to the Wampanoag people. “We’re connected to the land and connected to the water –– they’re my cousins, my family,” Lopes said.
Spreading that message was a meaningful moment for him.
“It means a lot to me that kids have an opportunity to learn from Wampanoag citizens,” Lopes told The Times after last Thursday’s presentation at the Charter School. Lopes is the education and outreach coordinator for the Aquinnah Cultural Center. “How do we bridge that gap between what we think we know about indigenous people, and what we do know? Things like this.”
The presentation was the last in a series –– organized by English and Language Arts (ELA) teacher Ben Hughes –– where the intention was for students to learn the history of the Island from voices of diverse perspectives.
While Thursday’s presentation highlighted local indigenous history, Hughes also invited Elaine Weintraub, historian and co-founder of the Martha’s Vineyard African American Heritage Trail, to talk about the trail’s importance, coupled with the history of slavery. Her presentation focused on the story of Rebecca — a free West African woman who lived on the Island in the 1700s.
Another local perspective came from Jim and Simon Athearn — owners of Morning Glory Farm — who presented to the students on sustainability and farming over the hundreds of years their family has lived on the Vineyard.
“The Island is changing a lot right now,” Hughes said. “[This project aims] to develop and affirm our appreciation for the history of the Island while the rich culture is still here.”
Back in the classroom on Thursday, Lopes displayed a couple of pairs of moccasins to students. The word “moccasin,” he said, comes from the Wampanoag language, and means “one shoe.” One of his pairs, a light-colored, soft shoe, was made of deerskin, which is used for walking around indoors. The other–– also deerskin –– had been dyed a darker color using the acid from a deer’s brain, and was utilized for ceremony. Both were colorfully decorated with porcupine quills bent and woven into the leather. “Wampanoag people have always been fashionable,” Lopes said with a smile.
Some Wampanoag ceremonial dress was made with traded cloth and ribbons from Europeans. Lopes explained some of the history of those exchanges. “We change how we dress over time, but we still come back to [traditional dress] too,” he said. “One thing always flows to another thing –– everything’s related to each other.”
Lopes gave some examples to students about the tools and treasures they may find around the Vineyard –– such as quahog, or wampum, and arrowheads. He directed the students to the tribe or Aquinnah Cultural Center to drop off found artifacts, such as arrowheads, if they want to return said items to the Wampanoag people.
In order to tie this presentation in with the earlier discussions on African American history and farming, Hughes asked the students what a primary source would be. Many agreed that a primary source would be someone who was there when a historic event occurred.
Lopes added that nature can also be a primary source. He urged the fifth and sixth graders to interact with the land, learn about its history, and ask clarifying questions from tribal members or teachers.
In the upcoming weeks, the fifth and sixth graders will work on individual projects related to the presentations. Hughes said the students are researching online, engaging with primary sources, and gathering information from field trips to the Martha’s Vineyard Museum in order to finish their assignments. He said he hopes they will learn to put on their “history goggles” as they walk through the Island they know and love.
Hughes’ intention is for them to see a view they’re not used to seeing, hear a perspective they haven’t heard before, and draw their own conclusions about the material.
He said his aim with these presentations is that his students learn to “be respectful of the past, while moving forward to the future.”
