Natick was a language, Natick is a town.
No one speaks the language, all of them are gone.
They lived here by the hundreds and grew upon the land
And welcomed some white strangers and offered us a hand,
But only their shadows remain.

John Eliot, a preacher, came to see the ones
Who sang and danced in worship of the morning sun.
He taught them trust and English, they taught him of the times
When only air and spirit abounded in these climes,
But only their shadows remain.

A language was invented to suit both families' needs:
To preach a Christian gospel and speak to whispering reeds.
A language known as Natick was spoken here by tongues
Of natives and of settlers: a new world had begun,
But only their shadows remain.

A generation later or two there came a war
Of Englishmen and "Indians," and racism and more
Then spilled upon the people who had welcomed us before
And had trusted Reverend Eliot, but now they are no more.
Only their shadows remain.

(c) 1984, Rick Lee,
Snowy Egret Music, BMI. Used with permission

Reverend John Eliot's NATICK Bible (1661-3), commonly called the "Eliot Indian Bible," a full translation of old and new testaments into Algonquian/Wampanoag/Massachuset/Nonantum/Natick, was the first book printed in the new world (on a letterpress imported from England by the Company for the Propogation of the Gospel in New England and Parts Adjacent in America). Eliot and Job Nesutan and the native people of Nonantum peaceably and respectfully exchanged languages and world-views. The natives sang as a way of life.

In late October, 1675, the "Indians" were suddenly and forceably removed from Natick and interned on Deer Island in Boston harbor over the winter because the Massachusetts Bay colonial government, over the objections of Eliot and many others, saw them as a potential security risk in the war with Metacom, "King Philip's War."

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and let him know how much you love this song! Mail Rick Lee

In all of my years of research into Massasoit and his family and the other southern New England Indian Chiefs, one thing has always stood out like a sore thumb and made my heart skip a beat. Massasoit always generously gave the Pilgrims everything they wanted in their treaties, and I only noticed one thing that he asked for in return. He made them promise to never force or encourage his people to turn away from their pagan superstitions. His plea was repeated by Wamsutta and Metacom (Alexander and King Philip) and by many other chiefs. The Praying Towns like Natick were seen as proof that the Pilgrims didn't keep that promise.

This song tears at my soul, and I grieve for all the forgotten ceremonies and the forgotten languages and the forgotten songs of those who greeted the sunrise each morning. But, of course, these Indians didn't really go away. And many of their songs and ceremonies were preserved and secretly performed within these very same Praying Towns. And I hear that there are people who use Eliot's bible to resurrect or remind themselves of their original tongue.

In my opinion, the Natick descendants can feel very proud of the way their ancestors kept their culture alive while learning to successfully blend their own spiritual beliefs with their new Christian religion. Perhaps that wasn't as difficult as one might think. I have been told by people from many different tribes across the continent that they have traditional stories of being visited by a very special white man who could walk on water. It's the reason so many of them welcomed the arrival of the British on their soil. It seems they all knew Jesus, but they each had a different name for him. And people of every culture seem to have a story of the flood, including here. It's a good reminder that we are all related.
Blessings, Sue

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