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Welcome to your free bi-weekly newsletter from Connecticut Explored with the latest stories, the newest Grating the Nutmeg podcast, programs and exhibitions from our partners to see/watch this month, and more!
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Protected: “I, Pampenum”: Indigenous Efforts to Save Thirty Mile Island
Even uninhabited river islands have stories that lie beneath their quiet, green surfaces. Haddam Island, known as “Thirty Mile Island” in the 17th and 18th centuries, is one such place. In fact, there are three layers to the story of this island: of place, of powerful Native women, and of abstract colonial authority.
In the 17th century, the Wangunk people of Connecticut signed a deed with English colonists, reserving the 18-acre Thirty Mile Island for their exclusive use. The island held great significance as it provided essential resources for Wangunk women, who were responsible for cultivating plant-based food and medicine. However, over time, European settlers occupied the island for economic purposes such as fishing and farming, leading to the gradual loss of Wangunk control.
The island's sovereignty passed through generations of powerful female elders, who sought to protect it for their people. Notable figures like Pampenum made efforts to preserve the island and its lands within the Wangunk-Niantic community. Pampenum used colonial law to ensure the island remained in Wangunk-Niantic ownership.
In this summer feature story, Katherine Hermes and Alexandra Maravel explore how the Wangunk women used wills and legal strategies to preserve Thirty Mile Island for nearly a century, safeguarding their community's autonomy and land ownership amidst colonial incursions. Hermes and Maravel write, “The story, though, is far from one of passive decline. Pampenum and her circle of women, determined to keep land among their descendants… ultimately failed, but from the 1690s to the 1790s, her will prevailed.”
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The Latest From Grating the Nutmeg
Connecticut Senator George McLean Protects America’s Wild Birds
Connecticut Senator George P. McLean rose from obscurity to serve as Governor of Connecticut and as a senator from Connecticut in Congress where he helped lead change and shape events from 1911 to 1929. McLean’s crowning achievement was overseeing passage of one of the country’s first and most important wildlife conservation laws, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. The MBTA has saved billions of birds from senseless killing and likely prevented the extinction of entire bird species.
The guest for this episode is Will McLean Greeley. After retiring from a 35-year career in government and corporate market research, he began a research and writing journey to learn more about Senator McLean. Greenley’s new book puts McLean’s victory for birds in the context of his distinguished forty-five-year career marked by many acts of reform during a time of widespread corruption and political instability.
Listen: Connecticut Senator George McLean Protects America’s Wild Birds
Programs and Exhibitions to Enjoy This Month
American Art: Race, Gender, and the Environment
On view through September 10 | Florence Griswold Museum
This summer the Florence Griswold Museum is pleased to share a very special exhibition organized by Princeton University Art Museum. Object Lessons in American Art is drawn entirely from Princeton’s venerable collections and presents works of Euro-American, African American, and Native American art created between the 18th century and today. The exhibition features 73 works in 20 discrete groups, each intended to provoke new considerations and raise timely questions about American history and culture.
More Information: https://florencegriswoldmuseum.org/
Pardee-Morris House in New Haven
Sundays June 4-August 27 | 12 to 4 p.m | New Haven Museum
Photos, maps, and graphics illustrating artifacts found at the Pardee-Morris House (PMH) during a recent archaeological survey will be on view at the historic house. Owned and operated by the New Haven Museum, PMH dates from about 1780 and is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Built by Amos Morris around 1750, the house was burned by the British during their raid in 1779 and rebuilt and expanded by the Morris family. PMH hosts concerts, lectures, tours, and exhibitions, all free of charge.
More Information: https://www.newhavenmuseum.org/visit/pardee-morris-house/
Artwork Celebrating African Heritage
On view through August 20 | Mattatuck Museum
This exhibition, Ancestral Heirloom: Art of Ifeyinwa Joy Chiamonwu explores the physical and traditional heirlooms passed down to the artist by her family and by the ancestors of the Igbo people. She recognizes that some Africans in Africa, and many Africans in diaspora, have lost touch with their roots. Thus, she has created this body of artwork to celebrate her African cultural identity in the hopes of “win[ning]back the minds of our brothers and sisters who have intentionally or unintentionally turned their backs on, or have lost touch with, their heirlooms.” Featuring eight never-before-seen works by Chiamonwu, Ancestral Heirloom makes a joyful case for celebrating one’s heritage.
More Information: https://www.mattmuseum.org/
Editor’s Picks
Want to explore the topics featured in this edition of the e-Newsletter? Check out these stories and podcasts from the archives.
“Native Americans: A Return to Equal Suffrage in Connecticut” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2020.
“Native American Oystering” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2017.
“Cruising the Thimble Islands” Connecticut Explored, Spring 2009.
“New London’s Indian Mariners” Connecticut Explored, Spring 2009.
Thanks to the generosity of our friends, Connecticut Explored has raised $29,125.00 for its Endow Hartford 21 fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and received $13,545.00 in matching funds. There is an estimated $5,464.63 still available in matching funds. HFPG has extended the end date of the Endow Hartford 21 Match Program (Phase 2) to September 30, 2023. If you would like to donate, you can do so at https://hartford.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=5162.
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