 |
RECONNECTION FESTIVAL 2002Bermuda's St. David's Island Pequot Indians were reconnected to the Mashantucket Pequot and the Eastern Pequot/Wampanoag/Narragansett Native American Indian Tribes during historic ceremonies held in Bermuda June 14 - 17, 2002 at the first annual Reconnection FestivalMy husband Tim and I were extremely fortunate to have been invited to participate in all the ceremonies on St. David's Island this June. Beulah and Boysie Foggo warmly welcomed us into their lovely home and treated us like family. The entire Reconnection Committee made sure that our every need was met and that our every dream came true. This was truly the experience of a lifetime. We traveled to Bermuda with Tall Oak's group from Rhode Island, and it was an honor to meet him and his family for the first time, also. In New Jersey we picked up Jean Foggo Simon who I had been communicating with for about three years, via email, so meeting her in person was a special treat. Jean was born and raised on St. David's and now lives in Ohio. I had been sharing with Jean all I could find about her New England Indian heritage, and she had been sharing all my emails with her cousins in Bermuda. Little did I know that everyone on the island was related to her! Everywhere I went the people knew who I was and greeted me warmly. It was so amazing! At the airport in Bermuda we met the Reconnection Committee while waiting for the Mashantucket Pequots to arrive, and after picture-taking we all gathered at a special place called Dark Bottom for a private reconnection ceremony followed by a potluck dinner served by the Committee. The public festivities on Saturday and Sunday were a big success. They ran out of programs to pass out the first day, so somebody spent all night running off new ones for Sunday, and there still weren't enough to go around. All the tee-shirts and hats sold out. They were beautiful, with the Reconnection Logo created by a gifted artist named Wayne St. John, another of Jean's cousins now residing in Canada. I used this logo to make the background for this page. Most Bermudians had never been to a powwow before, and they were in awe of the dancing and the regalia. The second day we had a rain delay of about an hour, but I don't think a single person left. Tim and I were trying to collect signatures of everyone who attended for a signature quilt that Jean will make to be put in their Carter House museum. We met a lot of fascinating people who were thrilled to be there. Many of them brought their genealogy charts with them, though we weren't set up to record their data. That is something for the Committee to work out for next year. The next night hundreds packed into the St. David's Island Cricket Club (Lord's Field) for an information session led by Tall Oak and Ramona Peters. It was stifling hot in there, but the audience was glued to their seats and didn't want to miss a single word. There were far too many special moments to touch upon here. Gifts were exchanged and the Mashantucket Tribal Council invited Bermuda's famous Gombey Dancers to attend their annual Schemitzun festival in 2003 at Foxwoods. Most, if not all of the Committee are planning to attend, as well. The Pequot Nation was a strong and powerful tribe residing in Connecticut about the time that the European invaders were competing for that territory. An inner conflict arose which split the nation into two opposing tribes. Those wishing to ally themselves with the English followed Uncas and became the Mohegans, while those hostile to the invasion remained with Sassacus. They numbered about 3,000. In 1637 the Massachusetts and Connecticut Colonies joined forces with their Indian allies to exterminate the Pequots. Unable to achieve their objectives fairly, they turned to other means. They set fire to a fort in Mystic killing about 700 Pequots in one hour. The following year 180 survivors were given as slaves to the area tribes, a few were given as slaves to the colonists, and a few more were sold as slaves to Bermuda to help finance the war. The Pequot nation was effectively erased forever. Or so they thought. By 1655 the slaves in CT were being treated so badly that they had to be removed from the tribes and settled into two villages of their own, where their descendants still reside today. And the Pequot slaves sent to Bermuda not only survived but actually blossomed under the worst possible conditions, a true testament to the strength and courage of that nation. Today nearly all of the residents of St. David's Island descend from those New England Indian slaves, and are held together by a strong sense of community. In appearance there is an uncanny similarity to the New England Indians. St. David's Island Reconnection Committee: St.Clair "Brinky" Tucker, Chair & Lyn Tucker Carmen J. Welch, Secretary Jean Foggo Simon, Genealogy Researcher Simmonette Andrews Beulah L. G. Foggo. Accommodations Veronica Chameau, Dolls/Publicity Edward & Dorothy Welch, Transportation Christina Lugo Tania Hollis Maxine (Hollis) Welch, Entertainment Stuart Hollis, Volunteers/Publicity Anthony "A.P." Paynter, Finance Harold Millett Arthur Pitcher Ian Pitcher Sean & Charmaine Tucker, Legal Eddie Lambe New England Guests: Everett "Tall Oak" Weeden Patricia Weeden Annawon & David Weeden Aaron &Toni Gooday-Ervin Cassius & Dawn Spears Ramona & Magel Peters Joyce Walker David Kahn Paula Peters Judith Wills Timothy & SueWE Martin Family of the Mashantucket Tribal Council Drummers & Dancers Others…… Mashantucket Tribal Council Guests: Michael J. Thomas Brenda Hill Kenny Merrick, Jr. Tyson Merrick Jeff Pegram Chris Pegram Mark Nelson Chris Newell Ginew Benton Joe Bearstail Priscilla Brown Michael Porter, Jr. Kristen Hudson River Thomas (4) Phyllip Thomas (4) Jeffrey Wosencroft Lisa Aquino Craig Merrick (9) Lauren Merrick (11) Roxanne Young-Perry Jaquontee S. Reels (7) Faithe Merrick Phyllis Smith Frank Smith Chalita Young John Young Phyllis Waite Ruth Thomas Albert Zamora Coriene Smith (7) If I have forgotten any participants, it was not intentional. Please email me at footprints@rcn.com so I can add your name to the list. There were so many other people who contributed to the success of this event and touched the hearts of the New Englanders. There was the band who serenaded us as we entered the airport in Bermuda led by Gene Steede, married to a cousin Barbara Carlington Steede, "Cousin" Eugene Ball who was the first to greet us, the Gombey Dancers who entertained us, the Honorable Mayor of St. George's Mr. J. Henry Hayward who presented the proclamations, the religious leaders, the MC, the elders who honored us with their presence, the historical society, the sponsors and the attendees. A special thanks goes to Brinky Tucker and his wife Lyn [she makes the best coffee and the best cornbread I've ever tasted] who made sure that everything ran smoothly, and all the committee members that took us to see everything we wanted to see. Our hosts were the best, and we will treasure these memories for the rest of our lives. Thank you, Bermuda!
BERMUDA PHOTO ALBUM
Logo by Wayne St. John - used with permission.
|