Tag: Munsee
A part of the “Forge House” in Taghkanic, New York
The artist Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians) and three other recipients have been awarded $25,000 fellowships from the Forge Project, an initiative launched this year that aims to address disparities around the representation of Indigenous artists. The residencies will take place for various durations in Taghkanic, New York, within a modular home the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei designed in 2006 for the art collector Christopher Tsai.
The initiative was founded by the American philanthropist Becky Gochman in collaboration with the directors Candice Hopkins (Carcross/Tagish First Nation) and Heather Bruegl (Oneida/Stockbridge-Munsee). It was envisioned as “a point of influence for the broader art world” that will support the creation of a comprehensive collection of Indigenous artworks and educational programmes that aim to prompt dialogue around decolonisation, according to Hopkins.
The project has amassed a collection of more than 100 works by living Indigenous artists, including Nicholas Galanin’s (Tlingit/Unangax̂) Never Forget (2021)—an appropriation of the Hollywood sign with the words Indian Land—and Cannupa Hanska Luger’s mirrored shields (2016) from the Standing Rock protests.
“There are some significant examples of an artist’s practice and contemporary art as a whole in the collection, and from the beginning it’s been intended to be a working collection,” Hopkins says. “It will be loaned, open for research and digitised and available online.”
She adds, “There’s a great imbalance between how works by Native artists are valued versus works by non-Native artists, and many Native artists don’t even have gallery representation. Part of what Forge can do through the collection is try to address that gap in value, make their work more public and give Native artists their due.”
Other recipients of the grant include the architect Chris T. Cornelius (Oneida), the…
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Warrant round up deemed a success
NEW BETHLEHEM – With the help of two area law enforcement agencies, the office of District Judge Jeffrey Miller conducted a warrant roundup on Wednesday, Aug. 4.
According to Miller, the one-day cooperative effort between the New Bethlehem Police Department and the Clarion County Sheriff’s Office resulted in the collection of more than $3,500 in outstanding fines and the arrest of three individuals.
“An arrest warrant is the last resort,” Miller said on Monday, explaining that his office is always willing to work with individuals on their payments if needed. “It happens because people simply don’t respond.”
As part of the roundup, Miller said, summary warrants involving 35 outstanding cases — ranging from traffic citations to bad checks and dog law violations — were served last Wednesday.
There are still remaining warrants to be served, officials noted.
New Bethlehem Police Chief Robert Malnofsky, who originally suggested the operation, emphasized the operation’s value.
“You have to show people that there are consequences if they don’t answer court documents,” he said, noting that the money from outstanding fines is revenue that the county is losing.
“I think it was a success,” he continued. “It’s a win for the district court because they get their warrants cleared, and it’s a win for my department because there’s either going to be a hearing or the fines will be paid.”
Clarion County Sheriff Rex Munsee agreed, noting that he was involved with a similar operation years ago with the state police, but this was the first such venture between the sheriff’s department and the NBPD.
“I want to give Chief Malnofsky equal credit here [since] it was his idea to do this,” Munsee said. “We agreed that it was a good idea, so it was a partnership between the two organizations.”
Munsee also said that the roundup focused solely on Miller’s jurisdiction, which includes all…
On View
All shows are located on the newly renovated, refurbished and reopened second floor of the Berkshire Museum.
Where: Berkshire Museum, 39 South St., Pittsfield
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m., Sundays.
Admission: $15, adult; $8, children; free for Berkshire Museum members, EBT cardholders and children ages 3 and under.
Information and tickets: 413-443-7171,berkshiremuseum.org
Note: All visitors 2 and over are required to wear protective face coverings inside the museum regardless of vaccination status.
Exhibitions now on view:
“Muh-he-con-ne-ok: The People of the Waters That Are Never Still”
What: Journey through the past, present and future of the Stockbridge Mohicans in this exhibit of insights into the history and culture of Berkshire County’s Indigenous community.
When: Through Jan. 9, 2022.
“The Land of the Thunder Dragon: Bhutan Through the Lens of Mead Eagle Photography”
What: A collection of 26 informal portraits, breathtaking landscapes, and lively scenes created during several visits spanning from 1999 to 2011 by Berkshire photographers Sally Eagle and Dan Mead.
When: Through Jan. 9, 2022.
“Objects and Their Stories”
What: A brand-new Berkshire Museum experience that activates the museum’s 40,000-object collection to tell a never-ending series of stories about human history, exploring the ways in which humankind has shaped and been shaped by the world around it.
When: Ongoing
In the second-floor pocket galleries:
Special presentations of works by Alexander Calder and Stephen Hannock’s “Flooded River: Rose Dawn.”
The history of the Muh-he-con-ne-ok — past, present and future — flows softly, subtly through a newly renovated second-floor gallery at the Berkshire Museum.
Throughout there are stories of battles fought alongside European settlers in King George’s War (and later in the Revolutionary War), of a celebratory feast with George Washington, of conversion to Christianity, of colonization and assimilation, of land “purchased” and taken by…
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – After a year of planning and construction, the new and improved second floor of the Berkshire Museum is ready to open. The goal of the extensive renovations was increasing flexibility in the galleries.
“You will never get to say ‘been there, done that,’” said executive director Jeff Rodgers. “You can always expect to see something new, and the way we designed the galleries, nothing is permanent. We want everything to be flexible and adaptable.”
What You Need To Know
- The newly renovated second floor of the Berkshire Museum is ready to open
- There are three new exhibitions in the second floor gallery space
- Each gallery has new floors, lighting, and increased flexibility for exhibits
- This is only phase two in the museum’s ongoing renovation plans
There are three new exhibitions in the second floor galleries. The first is ‘Objects and Their Stories,’ a rotating display of items from the museum’s permanent collection.
The other two are both temporary: A showcase of local photographers Sally Eagle and Dan Made called ‘The Land of the Thunder Dragon: Bhutan Through the Lens of Mead Eagle Photography,’ and ‘Muh-he-con-ne-ok: The People of the Waters That Are Never Still,’ an exhibition on the Stockbridge-Munsee Native Americans.
“This exhibition takes a look at cultural and historical ideas, going from the deep past right up to the present,” said Rodgers about ‘Muh-he-con-ne-ok. “It runs from historical objects, culturally important objects, right up to oral histories from Stockbridge-Munsee community members today.”
The galleries also feature new floors and a new lighting system, as well as new mobile museum units, which will be brought to schools and community centers throughout the county.
“They are quick fix,” said Rodgers. “I can change the labels on them in no time flat. We…
Modern yihakan: A 21st century take on the yihakan, the traditional Algonquian longhouse, grounds the interpretive peninsula at Machicomoco State Park. William & Mary anthropology Professor Martin Gallivan was a consultant in the design of the park, Virginia’s newest. Courtesy photo
by Joseph McClain | July 28, 2021
Before there was Machicomoco State Park, there was Cappahosic.
In fact, since the park sits on what is likely the same land, Martin Gallivan wanted Virginia’s newest state park near Gloucester to bear the name.
“Cappahosic was a fairly sizeable community for an Algonquian town,” Gallivan said. But state park officials pointed out that there is an existing, modern community located upstream, also called Cappahosic. To avoid confusion, the park was dubbed with the Algonquian word meaning ‘special meeting place.’”
Gallivan, professor and chair of William & Mary’s Department of Anthropology, says he’s perfectly happy with the Machicomoco name. He’s even happier with how the park turned out, as he was a consultant in the design.
“It’s a really innovative design,” Gallivan said. “The space is different than any other state park you’ve been in. It’s different than any other national park you’ve been in. It subtly and creatively immerses you in a Native landscape in a way that I don’t think any other place around here does.”
Gallivan is the author of The Powhatan Landscape: An Archaeological History of the Algonquian Chesapeake, and has conducted numerous archaeological examinations of the riverine Native communities, of which Cappahosic was just one. He said Cappahosic was one of the minor Powhatan communities.
“This wasn’t a big town,” he…
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NB mourns former police chief Merwin
NEW BETHLEHEM – “Jim was all about the betterment of the community. He was consistent and it was never about him.”
That’s how retired District Judge Dan George characterized former New Bethlehem Police Chief Jim Merwin who passed away on Wednesday, July 7 at the age of 83.
Merwin, who became police chief in 1987, is remembered as the one who restored integrity and professionalism to the then-struggling New Bethlehem Police Department.
When Merwin took the helm, the department was suffering from a series of scandals and investigations. Aware of the monumental task that lay ahead of him, Merwin reportedly said at the time that he would “work overtime to heal the force’s damaged reputation.”
According to George, who remembers well the disarray that plagued the department at the time, Merwin’s work and dedication to the community accomplished that.
“After three-and-a-half years of dealing with that mess, [Jim] was a breath of fresh air,” George said. “If I was picking the cream of the crop of all the local officers [I’ve worked with], Jim would be at the top of the list.”
Former New Bethlehem Borough Council member Ed Goth concurred, noting that Merwin was “very dedicated to the police department and New Bethlehem Borough.”
“He would work hours and hours outside of his normal time because he felt that it was the right thing to do,” Goth said. “He was very well-respected within the law enforcement community.”
Clarion County Sheriff and retired state police trooper Rex Munsee recounted several important cases — including a homicide, suicide, bank robbery, assault and more — that he worked with Chief Merwin.
“When you worked with Jim, he was just so down to earth,” Munsee said, noting that Merwin often conducted suspect interviews like a conversation. “He was a non-threatening police officer, and he listened to what people said.”
One of their more…
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by Cliff Weathers
Seven months have passed since customers of Suez and Nyack water utilities learned that their drinking water exceeded New York State’s Maximum Contaminant Level for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). These two extremely toxic chemicals are part of a larger class of chemicals known as PFAS. These chemicals, which are toxic even in minuscule concentrations, are known to cause a host of serious health problems that include kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, decreased fertility, decreased immune response, and decreased birth weight and skeletal birth defects. There is no known safe level of any PFAS chemical.
While it’s unclear what the source of contamination could be, the contamination is widespread in both Suez and Nyack water sources. Nyack Water serves some 15,000 people in Nyack, South Nyack, Central Nyack and parts of West Nyack, and draws water from the Hackensack River. Suez serves some 300,000 people in Rockland County and New Jersey and draws water mostly from its network of wells, reservoirs, and surface waters across the county.
Testing suggests multiple sources, or dispersed sources of some kind, rather than one single polluter. Multiple PFAS were detected in almost all water sources. All but one of 63 water sources tested had detectable levels of PFAS. PFOA. Two or more PFAS were detected in 87% of tested water sources, with up to eight different PFAS detected.
Upon receiving notice that water supplies in the county exceeded state standards for those two PFAS, the Rockland Water…
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Historical society receives $6,000 grant
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PITTSFIELD — The Berkshire County Historical Society has received a $6,000 grant from the Berkshire County Education Task Force in support of a new…
Nearly $150,000 in federal grants, including a match by six Berkshire County nonprofit organizations, will fund interpretive programs and projects exploring the history and heritage of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Tribe. The indigenous community’s original 18th century homelands were in South Berkshire, northwest Connecticut and the Upper Hudson Valley of New York state.
The funds appropriated by Congress, based on National Park Service recommendations, were awarded by Housatonic Heritage, which has offices in Stockbridge and in Salisbury, Conn., as well as an Oral History Center at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield.
The projects supported by the grants, combined with funds raised by the local institutions on a minimum one-to-one match, include:
• Berkshire Historical Society, $1,875, for Trails and Tales at Arrowhead. The Interpretive walking trail focuses on Mohican history in the area and includes a Zoom presentation by the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Director of Historic Preservation Bonney Hartley.
• Berkshire Museum, $35,000, for Mo-he-con-e-ok: The People of the Waters that Never Stand Still, a major exhibition being curated by a Stockbridge-Munsee Community historian.
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• Bidwell House Museum, Monterey, $7,300, for expanded programs related to its Native American Interpretive Trail, in conjunction with the Berkshire Museum exhibition.
• Hancock Shaker Village, $1,400, for The Shakers and Indigenous People: An interpretive signage project.
• Southern Berkshire Regional School District, $1,000 for a summer educational film documentary based on travel to Bowler, Wis., current home of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, and to various sites of significance after the Mohican-Munsee removal from their original homelands.
• Stockbridge Library Museum and Archives, $11,000, for Deeds of Our Past: The Stockbridge Indians and Colonial Bonds. The program acknowledges the Stockbridge-Munsee Community through artifacts and archival documents.
The projects are to be completed by June 30, 2022, said Dan Bolognani, executive director of Housatonic Heritage. With fundraising by the local nonprofits…