Moshup: Enduring Aquinnah Wampanoag
Stories
Fortunately the
snow held off on Saturday, January 25, when Rachel Sayet gave an excellent talk
based her extensive research about Moshup which culminated in her Master’s
thesis from Harvard University Extension.
As a young girl living at Mohegan, Rachel learned traditional stories of
giants and little people from her elders. The giant, Moshup, is always
connected to the land and sea of southern New England. Mohegan and Pequot
people as well as Aquinnah and Mashpee Wampanoags have many stories about
Moshup which have been passed down for hundreds of years. In the 1920s,
Rachel’s great-aunt Gladys Tantaquidgeon began recording Moshup stories among
the Aquinnah of Martha’s Vineyard. Rachel demonstrated that while many
different people have recorded Moshup stories, each from a unique perspective
and for different purposes, these stories have always connected the Aquinnah
Wampanoag people to the landscape, thereby reinforcing sovereignty for their
nation and ensuring their survival. Rachel’s engaging presentation was well
received by an interested and thoughtful audience in the Research Library.
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