February 28, 2010

IndiVisible causes divisions

Indivisible:  Exhibit re-ignites Indian Wars in Boston

By Winchin ChalaLate last year, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) opened an exhibit “Indivisible.” As with the museum itself, the reaction is mixed. One unexpected result is the animosity and controversy it has created among the Massachusetts tribe, the Chappaquiddick of the Wampanoag Nation.And:There are no longer any full-blooded Chappaquiddick. Among the actual roll of about 200, each member can claim to be Chappaquiddick or part this or that, thus it is impossible to label the Chappaquiddick Tribe as a whole as “African-Native-American” as the exhibit “Indivisible” does. The Sagamore Seawolfe reports, “We embrace all of our members. And we do have some members who we know have African roots, but no one has ever mentioned being African-American-Indian until recently, after the Indivisible exhibit went up. My family and I and many other members of the Chappaquiddick do not have any connection to being African or share in the dual experience of being ‘African-American-Natives.’ Many of us do not know why we are included in the exhibit ‘Indivisible.’ We were never approached about it.”Comment:  For more on the subject, see Native Roots of Hendrix and the Blues and IndiVisible Responds to Freedmen Issue.

No comments: