A comment about federal tribal recognition

Sometimes a little pocket of blog comments appears for a post and I don't notice it until later. This blog post [Click here] has some comments worth reading. One of those comments is as follows (I corrected the spelling).

Dear Pile bloggers:
The situation with the Nipsachuck Swamp is the So Called Seeconke's who are jonny come lately. They have no standing in USET nor are they recognized by other Wampanoags who have federal recognition. They are getting everyone all worked up and looking to gain some recognition through the media storm. They are not the genuine article, just ask the Narragansett's John Brown, or Doug Harris. Look out, they will turn a solid arcaheological find into a media circus, with the so called tribal hsitorian leading the way.
Kudo's to N.S. [North Smithfield] Conservation Commission and Dr. Meli, they are trying to protect the area.
Dr. Edwin Wind. Retired Professor UMASS.

I responded to the effect that I have been systematically skeptical about the claims being made about Nipsachuk and that I am in a "wait and see if they find anything useful, probably not" mode with respect to the study by Dr. Meli. All of which could be discussed in greater length. But what I want to comment on separately is this view of Dr. Wind that Wilfred Greene represents "jonny come lately". I have little intelligent to say about how Indians treat other Indians and about why the Narragansetts do or do not support the efforts of other New England Indians to gain recognition, whether state or federal. I do remember a certain amount of contempt expressed about Indians who have forgotten their own names and family connections. Right or wrong that is none of my business. But I do think it fair for me to express a white European attitude about such things and it is as follows: I look at Wilfred Greene's face and have no doubt he has a good deal of Native American blood. In what way would he be a "jonny come lately"?. So I ask: why is he not entitled to similar benefits and responsibilities as an Indian who is a member of a recognized tribe? I don't know. Wouldn't the fact that he is not part of a recognized tribe suggest his own family might have been harshly used by the Europeans, more harshly used in fact that -say- the Narragansetts? Or is it that his family deliberately turned its back on Native American culture and now they are "jonny come lately" in wanting to take back what they threw away? A kind of reverse sour grapes.

I do not know the details of Mr. Greene's family history. But in at least some scenarios I think the white community might have a larger guilt to absolve towards Wilfred Greene than towards the Narragansetts. Or in some other scenarios maybe not. But I do want to say to Dr. Wind: you are the jonny come lately, and so am I. Obviously Wilfred Greene has a right to explore his own families history, and all indications are that something significant happened at Nipsachuk. Don't worry that we will be taken in by a "media circus" we are watching closely and caring about all the involved parties - even the much maligned Dr. Meli.

The Nipsachuk story - up to date

Since there has been some recent new interest in the Nipsachuk story, here is the full collection of articles.
[Click here (oldest stories at the bottom)]

Some Nipsachuck rock piles contain 700 year old human bones

Thanks to reader Tim M. for the scan of the front page of The Valley Breeze, the local newspaper in North Smithfield RI, where the Nipsachuk site has been attracting interest because of the conflict between the commercial real estate developers and land protectors, including Wampanoag's who have a historic connection to the land and modern residents wanting to protect the land and the rock piles on it. Nipsachuk was the site of a famous battle in the King Philips War.

Here is a scan of the front page of the article. I inserted enlargements so you can read the text. So if you click on the picture, you should be able to read it.
I was probably unfair to Dr. Meli, who has achieved an exceptional discovery. I hope the academic archeologists of New England take note.

Update:
The link to the article is provided by Larry in the comments.
Update2:
Getting bones dated in a lab is something the Indians don't like. There are moral ambiguities here.

Next Nipsachuk article

Another Nipsachuk article from the Providence Journal [Click here]. Thanks to Jim P. for the link. This article seems slightly better balanced than previous ones.

Being too judgemental

This has been a week where I have been being pretty judgemental. First we had Thorson and stone walls with litttle grasp of rock piles; then we had the South African archeologist giving an opinion about the need to investigate below-ground aspects of rock piles; and then I was being judgemental about the Indians in Ontario building a rock pile. Being judgemental about this last one seems to have gone too far. So I need to back off and apologize. I do not know what is in the thoughts of Indians in Ontario nor of those in New England. Having been around the fringes of the public face of Native American culture (powwows, online bulletin boards, etc) I do know that they deeply resent people seeking out and imitating their spiritual beliefs. At the same time, I have walked the woods with some of the Narragansett and looked at rock piles with them and believe them when they professed ignorance. Maybe historically there is a pattern of deception and hiding of their beliefs that I am falling victim to. I don't think so, I think they honestly do not know about it [at least not the ones I talked to]. Take John Brown (the apprentice medicine man for the Narragansett). He talks about Nipsachuk as a place he remembers visiting as a child and talks about how he does not know anything about the rock piles. He is shown walking and standing on top of a cairn at Killingworth. Why not believe him when he says he does not know anything about rock piles, since he proves it by his actions? Why not believe the Ontario Indians also when they say they do not know the original reasons for building rock piles. Are they being deceptive? I am taking them at their word and at the same time am puzzled by a modern imitation of a past ceremonial activity. So I feel guilty about being too judgmental in general and in particular about the Indians themselves; but I am going to stick to my guns in one way: we need to discuss these things. Native American belief cannot be a sacred cow that we dare not question on the topic of rock piles because it is simply not clear what those beliefs have to offer on the subject. No one has an inside track on what has been universally forgotten. To exaggerate the case, if I find a 7 thousand year old arrowhead, no one knows its history. My desire is to take that view for rock piles also, with the goal of understanding what is out in my backyard. If, at any time, someone reveals information that helps explain what is there, that will be very welcome.

Reuters Picks Up Nipsachuk Story

by JimP

Seaconke Wampanoag Chief Wilfred Greene stands next to a mound of rocks that local tribal leaders and historians say mark a historic Indian burial ground in the woods in North Smithfield, Rhode Island May 16, 2007.
(PHOTO: Brian Snyder/Reuters)

"Piles of rocks spark an American Indian mystery" by Jason Szep for Reuters.

[CLICK HERE] to read the article on Yahoo! News.

If the quotes in that article are accurate, I'm surprised by Paul Robinson's non-committal and I take back anything good I ever said about William S. Simmons. Dr. Fred Meli is in a class by himself and I applaud him.

More Nipsachuk photos

Reader Tim M. sent several other photos. Starting with the one I find most informative, here are some views of the site:Readers familiar with this blog will know what I mean when I observe that these piles are somewhat evenly spaced and in lines, will know that I often report about such things. Let's look at some individual piles:....hmmm....they look pretty vertical sided. Does that ring a bell with any readers?

In addition there are a number of damaged piles:
For example, we have heard of the plan to excavate piles already damaged by percolation test pitting:
And other types of structures:
Now we see hese pictures it is possible to guess that this is a marker pile site. It may be related to the famous King Philip's War battle but it is very unlikely that these piles are burials (at least not the vertical sided ones). In fact these piles match well with the physical description given by Mavor and Dix in Manitou, describing the one rock pile they excavated in Freetown.

While I am over here dis-agreeing with everyone, let me add that I was told by Curtis Hoffman that Ted Ballard had counted the same number of piles (was it 24?) as warriors reported to have died in the famous King Philip's battle that took place there. At the time I heard this it sounded too good to be true. It still does. As I look at how water is seeping out of the ground everywhere at this site, it surprises me anyone would believe there are bodies buried there. I don't think bodies were placed in the water supply. What is my point? It seem great that the town of North Smithfield is preventing development - but there is a lot of mythology being created about this site and it will inevitably color how other sites are perceived - for better or worse people will be operating with false assumptions. And what is this site if not a burial ground? I believe marker pile sites may have been created as memorials but function as connecting a viewer to points on the horizon. So a recommendation is: try to locate a position where you can look down the lines of piles (a place where the lines converge) and explore the compass bearings in those viewing directions.

Vandals damage Nipsachuk cairn

Norman Muller writes:
One of the cairns at the N. Smithfield site in RI was broken into. Attached is a photo of it.

[photo removed at the request of the -author]

More details about Nipsachuk

[Click here] from the Valley Breeze (link via Norman Muller).

One sees certain names mentioned.

Why Dr. Meli Deserves Our Appreciation

by Jim P.
Last night, the North Smithfield Town Council passed a resolution to halt all development in the areas of the Nipsachuk Swamp and Hill. It was accomplished with the help of Dr. Meli's tireless efforts. His survey of the property was an important element in the fight to save the site from the bulldozer. He lent his name, credentials, and reputation to the preservation of this important stone structure site.

For many years we have wondered loudly why archaeologists and anthropologists have largely ignored and dismissed this area of research. No matter what we ultimately think of each one of their conclusions, when we look back on these days in 10 or 20 years we will remember names like Dr. Curtiss Hoffman, Dr. William S. Simmons, and Dr. Fred Meli as those men who dared to step boldly from the mold and pave a new path for their fields of study. We will remember them as the pioneers they truly are. We will appreciate them for finally listening and taking an active interest in a subject that we've all been working hard to get them to notice for so long.

Burial mounds or not, Dr. Meli deserves our appreciation. We, of all people, should be able to clearly see the forest for the trees.

Retired URI professor charged with faking degree

This is too bad for all involved. It completely muddies the waters of the North Smithfield - Nipsachuk story.

More about Nipsachuk - from the Providence Journal

From Sunday's Providence Journal (thanks to Larry Harrop for the link):
I find Adjunct Professor Meli's certainty that this is a burial site disturbing. Read how, in the course of a couple of paragraphs that certainty becomes an established fact. Comments on this topic are most welcome, especially from anyone who knows Meli, or has information about the site.

"...“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said William S. Simmons, a Brown University professor, chair of the anthropology department and expert in New England tribal folklore. “These are definitely human construction. Whoever built these built them carefully. ... One thing you can say about it for sure is that it’s old.”

Frederick F. Meli, an adjunct professor in anthropology at the University of Rhode Island, has toured the area four times. He said he found more cairns in the surrounding woods. He said he is certain they mark a burial ground.

“That type of burial mound is consistent with peoples in this area,” he said of the burial styles of New England’s native tribes.

THE ACADEMICS were brought to the woodland site by Wilfred Greene, chief of the Seaconke Wampanoags, whose tribal name is Eagle Heart. Greene and his 250-member tribe have appointed themselves the spiritual caretakers of the site in hope that the rediscovered burial ground might help the rebirth of their tribe...."

This really bother me, so I offer Meli a challenge: instead of lecturing innocent Indians and reporters of the Providence Journal, come over to this blog and explain yourself to the real rock-pile community. How do you know this is a burial ground? What research or scholarship do you have to back up your claim? What is the basis for your expertise?

South Kingston RI development halted by Native American Archeology

Link from Peter Anick on the NEARA bulletin board. [click here]

Near Nipsachuk?

The latest news from Nipsachuk

Reader Tim M. send me this:

Last night, August 16th, the Town of North Smithfield Planning Board voted 3-2 to deny the applicant for Rankin Estates Development (in the Nipsachuck Swamp Area) to proceed with their Master Plan. Couple of main reasons for the denial: "While the applicant has adequately identified the natural features of the site, cultural features such as historic cemeteries, stone walls and other historic features have not been identified as required by the Regulations. For example, a stone foundation identified on the 2001 Phase I Master Plan in the area of the intersection of roadway A and roadway B is not shown on the current plan. The Constraint / Opportunity Map & Existing Condition Plan shows a number of rectangular shapes resembling structures in the vicinity of Rankin Brook. No attempt has been made to identify what these man-made features are, if they are significant, and how they fit into the development scheme."

"Whether or not the stone mounds found on the Rankin site and identified as North Smithfield Historic Cemetery # 52 and #53 are in fact burials, Native American ceremonial markers or are evidence of agrarian land clearing activities; there is no dispute that they are man-made historic cultural features that need to be located on the Master Plan as specified in Section A. Item 21 of the Master Plan Checklist. This checklist item requires that the applicant show, on all maps the location of “any unique natural and or historic features, including stone walls”. The checklist does not specify that only those features located in disturbed areas need to be identified, it states, “any” feature.

Based on this requirement of the checklist and the testimony of the Dr. Fredric F. Meli, PhD, Archaeologist and Doug Harris, Deputy Narragansett Indian Tribal Historic Preservation Officer at the August 2 meeting I recommend that the Board require the applicant complete the background research of the entire property on which the proposed development is to be located as proposed in the applicant's August 2 letter, and that the field investigations described in Item b. of the letter, be expanded to include the entire site.

Also, the Board should be aware of Rhode Island General Laws §28-18-1(5) that defines an “Historic Cemetery”:

“Historic Cemetery” means any tract of land which has been for more than one hundred (100) years used as a burial place, whether or not marked with an historic marker, including but not limited to, ancient burial places known or suspected to contain the remains of one or more American Indians.

Rhode Island General Laws §23-18-11.1 prohibits the alteration or removal of any “historic cemetery” except with a permit issued by the Town Council. The law places the responsibility of protection of historic cemeteries on the town. The law is silent on who determines whether the mounds are burial places. At this point it appears that the Board will have to at least make a preliminary determination as to whether the mounds viewed on the site are ancient Indian burials raising at least a suspicion that they contain the remains of American Indians. That determination is subject to further archeological study. But until a final report is issued the mounds should be protected as historic cemeteries pending further study and identification. Given the broad definition of “Historic Cemeteries” it clearly appears that the Legislature intends us to err on the side of treating the areas as cemeteries since otherwise the damage would be irreparable. Based on the testimony of Dr. Meli and Doug Harris the Town is on notice that there is at least a suspicion that these mounds could in fact be ancient burial sites

Let me know what your thoughts are on this. The developer's attorney has promised to take the town to court over this issue.

Boston Globe version of the Nipsachuk rock pile story

[Click here]
Thanks to reader Tim M. for the link.

More Nipsachuk news - from Tim M.

Reader Tim M. sends in this link about the Judge ruling in favor of the developer but the Indian "burial ground" is still an issue. [Click here]

Nipsachuk - Big news coming

Looks like they found 700 year old bones in a rock pile. Details to follow.

Mystery in the Green Mountains

More about "Hidden Landscapes" - Ted Timreck's film about the pre-history of New England and rock piles. From the Burlington Free Press: [Click here]

It is nice for rockpiles to be given such an elegant treatment but this ongoing confusion about the depth of time - motivating the discussion of rock piles by blurring the 12,000 years between when fluted points were used and now - is unfortunate. It is like the Nipsachuk publicity - generating interest in rock piles at the expense of mis-representing them as all being burials. Is this a good thing that before the subject of rock piles gets its scientific "legs" it already be burdened by a couple of large incorrect assumption? Rock piles are not paleo-Indian and they were not all used in burials. Maybe some of the public will end up here and read that.

Burial grounds pose mounds of trouble to developers - the latest Nipsachuk news

Reader Tim M. sent this:

By ETHAN SHOREY, Valley Breeze Staff Writer
Decision on development to be made by Aug. 17

NORTH SMITHFIELD – With hundreds of Indian burial mounds dotting the 264-acre piece of land off Rankin Path, the situation for developers here is getting more complicated.

Last Thursday's first of two master plan public informational meetings at the Kendall-Dean School drew dozens of residents who say the developer of a proposed 122-unit housing development, Narragansett Improvement, is ignoring hundreds of years of common knowledge in the town, all for a big profit.

They also accuse the developer of planning a "mining operation" on the property.

Members of the community say Narragansett Improvement has a plan to use the potentially largest housing development in town as a cover for the profitability of the land itself, hundreds of thousands of yards of gravel, that would be sold to the state.

Because Narragansett Improvement would be building homes on the site, grading of the gravel would be a legal and profitable venture, residents are speculating.

The argument continued over the presence of hundreds of stone and dirt mounds on the property, one side claiming they were Indian burial mounds, and the other claiming they are from early settlers clearing the land for farming.

"I don't know if anyone can answer that at this point," said Planning Director Michael Phillips, on the question of whether Narragansett Improvement will ever be allowed to build on the property. "State law is pretty clear about not building on (the graves) or within 25 feet of them."

A decision on whether the mounds are indeed burial mounds, thus disallowing the development as currently constituted, must be made by Friday Aug. 17.

The state regulations create yet another hurdle for Narragansett Improvement, and would put at least some of the company's current plans in serious jeopardy, according to Phillips, as it was recently discovered that at least one of the planned roads for the proposed development runs right by a mound.

During last week's meeting, the lawyer for Narragansett Improvement, Michael Kelly, questioned the qualifications of anthropologist Frederick Meli, an artist, archeologist and former professor at URI who said that after many hours of walking on the property, he is convinced the historical evidence for Indian burial grounds is compelling.

After Kelly's questioning, Meli proceeded to read off the many qualifications he had previously summarized for the Planning Board, to which Kelly had no response. Phillips said that the questions over Meli's qualifications, with a master's degree and doctorate in archeology, were unfounded.

"Maybe (Meli) doesn't have extensive experience in New England, but he is certainly qualified in the science of archeology," said Phillips. "He knows what he is talking about."

Along with Kelly and Narragansett Improvement, William Simmons, chair of Brown University's Anthropology Department, has claimed that the mounds could have easily been arranged by European settlers clearing the land for farming.

That, says Donald Gagnon, chair of the North Smithfield Conservation Commission, is "ludicrous."

"There is absolutely no evidence that there was ever any farming activity," he said. "The state has done its own studies and found that you can't grow anything there."

He said the property is full of eskers, or small hills left over from glacier activity, wetlands, boulder fields, and gravel, making farming even today impossible.

Kelly did not return a call seeking answers on why he believes there were once farmers on the land or why he doesn't believe the mounds are graves. A representative from Narragansett Improvement said Kelly should be the one contacted on the matter.

Carlo Mencucci, of Burrillville, said he too has heard the claims of "farmers clearing their land," and doesn't put an ounce of credibility into them. He said growing up he knew all the back woods in the northern half of Rhode Island, and the Indian burial mounds are everywhere, including the proposed site for Rankin Estates in North Smithfield.

"Everyone always knew they were there," he said. "We saw them, we had proper respect for them. They act like they've just discovered them but everyone around here has known they have been there forever."

"Back in the 1800s, everyone respected them," said Gagnon.

Meli has estimated the area off Rankin Path could contain a burial ground covering at least 230 acres. Already, The Wampanoag Indians, led by Chief Wilfred Greene, have said the Rankin Path burial mounds are quite possibly their version of Arlington National Cemetery.

Giving even more credibility to the Conservation Commission's claims of Indian burial mounds, The Rhode Island Historic Cemetery Commission has declared the mounds at Rankin Path to be a historic Indian cemetery from the days of King Philip's War in 1675.

An official study is yet to be completed by Meli to find out exactly how many of the mounds exist on the Rankin Path property, but researchers say they have seen hundreds.

If the extensive study by Meli is completed and it is discovered that it is indeed burial mounds covering the 264 acres, as many believe, it is difficult for many in town to conceive of a profitable development that would still work for Narragansett Improvement, especially with the 25-foot buffer.