November 27, 2005
Dissidents Disrupt Boston City Hall
as Mayflower Descendants Clarify History
"Records Confirm that Pilgrims and Wampanoags lived in Harmony for First 50 Years."
BOSTON, MA -- A group of agitated Wampanoags disrupted the presentations at the Mayor's Office of New Bostonians at City Hall on November 18, when descendants of the Mayflower Pilgrims and Wampanoag Chief Massasoit presented their uplifting original records and journals, in attempt to lift the cloud surrounding the history of Thanksgiving and the first 50 years of the Plymouth Plantation. The thorough cross-cultural research of the descendents revealed "a shining time when our diverse cultures had a meeting of hearts and minds and lived in harmony," agreed Paul "Deerfoot" Weeden, a descendent of Massasoit and Orator of the Pokanoket Tribe of the Wampanoag Nation, and Connie Baxter Marlow, a descendent of Priscilla Mullins and John Alden (of "Speak for yourself John"), according to Native American Olympic Team Foundation (NVF).
As the descendants were sharing their research and perspectives, some unhappy members of the Wampanoag Nation entered and dominated the question and answer period, led by Joanne Dunn of Massachusetts Indian Affairs. "We've been ignored and negated, yet we have value and played a role and want to be recognized," cried Linda Coombs.
*(Photo Caption: Mayflower descendent, Connie Baxter Marlow, a former executive director of "Ski the Rockies," alongside the Mayflower II in England. Connie envisioned this clarification event. Photo credit: Scott W. Snare.)
"As a champion of Native peoples, Connie showed great compassion for their presentation of the tragic true stories of what the English did in a different place and time," according to Tom Dostou, an Algonquin observer. From his experience in winning his personal battle against negative thinking, which only creates more heartache, Dostou sees this "as a time to acknowledge the past, learn from these lessons, and move on to a brighter future for all the children."
"Their pain is totally understandable from what befell the Indian Nations, who in respecting all life, welcomed the Europeans as Creator's children," explains Marlow, a philosopher and futurist. "Few have understood this advanced world view and the role Massasoit's people and the Pilgrims have together played in the evolution of the 'American mind,' which holds the clues to how the live in peace and abundance."
Marlow retraced the footsteps of the Pilgrims, who were Cambridge-educated Separatist leaders of their community in Scrooby, England. When the Bible was printed in English in the early 1600's, these seekers began to question the absolute power of the Monarchy and Church. They had to escape England to seek spiritual freedom first in Leiden, Holland, culminating at Cape Cod with the signing of the Mayflower Compact before setting foot on land, and establishing the Plymouth Colony. The Compact is one of America's first "Freedom Documents" which gave birth to a fledgling democracy in Plymouth, similar to that of most of the councils of the American Indian Nations.
Marlow presented some of the journals that spoke of Governor Bradford's "love and affection" for Massasoit, when asked if he was worried if there might be an Indian uprising. ("Good News From New England" p.13). And at a meal at the home of Conbatant, a Wompanoag leader, just after Edward Winslow, (a Pilgrim leader), saved Massasoit's life in 1623, Conbatant asked Winslow what was their meaning of their Pilgrim way blessing before and after eating:
Winslow: "I took occasion to tell them of God's works of creation and preservation, of his laws and ordinances, and that whatsoever good things we had, we received from God, and therefore craved his blessing upon what we were about to eat... Whereupon the Indians said they believed almost all the same things, and that the same power that we called God, they called Kiehtan." ("Good News From New England" pp. 38, 39).
"I believe the Pilgrims and Massasoit immediately recognized their common humanity if you truly study the Pilgrim documents," declares Alison Baxter Marlow, Connie's daughter. Alison, who organized the event, will carry this story for the next generation," said her proud mom.
To deepen the understanding of all these "missing pieces" of history, Connie has produced an eye-opening five-part DVD series entitled "The American Evolution: Voices of America." In demand by schools and libraries, the series features Henry David Thoreau, Native American Elders, as well as Muslim and Greek authors....
See www.customflix.com/207224.
"Some would call the Pilgrims and Massasoit the 'Cultural Creatives' of their day, the 1% who lead the evolution of consciousness in society," said Olympian Suzy Chaffee, co-chairman of NVF, an event supporter after Marlow also uncovered Chaffee's ancestral lineage to the romantic, straight-talking Mayflower couple.
"I wasn't anxious to share that I was a Mayflower descendent until Deerfoot and Connie took the time and effort to bring this research to light, to make us all prouder to be Americans," said Chaffee.
"Creator blesses all the participants of this event who have led the way in honoring, healing and clarifying this pivotal piece of history," said Woody Vaspra, (Hawaiian), President of the World Council of Elders (50+ countries) and NVF board member.
Native Voices is a 501C3 partnership of US Tribal leaders, Elders, Olympians and ski communities, whose mission is "To create joyful unity through sports to heal Mother Earth for all our children."
For more information and pictures contact: http://www.theamericanevolution.com, flyweagles@aol.com, or phone: (617) 784-7470, and www.nativevoices.org, suzynativevoices@aol.com, (323) 707 5058.