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These video resources are courtesy of The Bidwell House Museum and Bonney Hartley of the Tribal Historic Preservation Office of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community.

 

Finding A Place Again: Honoring the Mohican Story of Stockbridge with Bonney Hartley

Though indigenous history in Stockbridge stretches back at least 12,000 years, the colonial-era Mohican story is bookended by two key events: the 1739 construction of the Stockbridge Meetinghouse, and the 1783 Ox Roast feast to thank Stockbridge Mohicans for Revolutionary War service—as they were simultaneously forced to leave these lands for the west. Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation is investigating both of these important and complex sites through archaeology and historical research, awakening new perspectives on these events. The Meetinghouse and Ox Roast sites are also but two of eleven sites that included in the Tribe’s recent release of an online Mohican History Walking Tour of Stockbridge Main Street. On January 13 Bonney Hartley presented a discussion of these cultural heritage initiatives.

Bonney Hartley is a cultural resources professional who is currently the Tribal Historic Preservation Manager of the Stockbridge/Munsee Mohican Nation, of which she is also an enrolled member. Her work focuses on repatriation of ancestors and objects important to the Tribe’s cultural heritage. Bonney holds a Masters of Social Science Degree in International Relations from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. In 2013 she was awarded the “American Indian Local Hero Award” by the San Francisco Mayor’s office. Bonney also serves on the Board of Trustees of Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz, NY.

This was the second lecture in a three-part series presented by the Bidwell House Museum over the winter titled “Hidden in Plain Sight: Native Peoples and the Struggle to Recover Their History in New England.”

 

Jonathan Edwards and the Stockbridge Mohican Indians

In this lecture from December 2, Dr. Roy M. Paul discusses his book “Jonathan Edwards and the Stockbridge Mohican Indians.” The story of the Stockbridge Mohicans is one of tragedy and deceit, and yet also a story of endurance and strength. Despite the many efforts to remove their identity and eradicate their unique culture, they have endured and continue to flourish, ensuring future generations will benefit from their rich legacy. In his book, Dr. Paul chronicles the history of the Mohican people and their desire to know more about the ‘Great, Good Spirit.” From 1751-1758 they were ministered by Jonathan Edwards, the foremost theologian in American history and his book gives you a glimpse of that relationship and of Edwards’ efforts for their physical and spiritual well-being.

 

Cultivating Memorial Geographies and Collective Memories with Rose Miron

Though the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohicans were forced to leave their homelands in 1783, they have never relinquished their ties to the Mahicannituck River Valley and have continued to return to this region over the last 238 years. In this talk from February 24th, 2021, Dr. Rose Miron discussed the heritage tourism trips organized by the tribe’s Historical Committee in the late 20th century, which brought busloads of tribal citizens back to the Northeast to learn about Mohican history. The trips allowed tribal citizens to recreate the geographies in which their ancestors lived and cultivate new collective memories that strengthened a shared sense of tribal history, laying the foundation for future interventions in regional museums and other public history sites.