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Bringing together Pequot and Sister Nation Artists, the Kunâhneepamuhshâtunônak “Our Moons” exhibit illustrates who we are as a people and the importance of Indigenous relationships. Our new exhibit represents the Indigenous teachings of how the cycles of the moon have continually provided guidance and support for the original people of the Northeast through visual articulation of the language we call art. Our story lives on…
April is our Fish Moon. This moon is really important to us because this allows us to prep for horticulture. We believe the herring bring the warm weather.
On a turtle’s back, the pattern of scales establishes the combination of numbers that define the lunar calendar cycle. The circle of scales surrounding the edge adds up to 28, the number of days that comprise the lunar cycle.(28 days from full moon to full moon.) The center of the shell has a pattern of thirteen larger scales, which represent the 13 moons of the lunar calendar.
March
March is our Maple Sugar Moon our “Weekapaheek” Moon. It signifies Spring is here and is the New Year for our people, representing new life. In our Maple trees the frozen sugar within begins to melt and starts to become sugar water. The sap starts to leak and indicates these trees are ready to be tapped.
April
April is our Fish Moon. This moon is really important to us because this allows us to prep for horticulture. We believe the herring bring the warm weather.
May
May is our Corn Planting Moon. Corn is the oldest of the Three Sister’s. It’s one of the first crops that indigenous people domesticated, and it is a crucial crop today.
June
June is our Strawberry Moon. The strawberry is a sweet treat and the kickoff to summer. It brings forth the first berry of the year and here in Mashantucket we have a special ceremony that is about forgiveness using the strawberry.
July
July is our Blueberry moon. Mashantucket has a variety of different blueberries throughout the reservation.
August
August is our Green Corn Moon. We have our annual event called Schemitzun, a three day feast we call the celebration of the green corn harvest.
September
September is our Harvest Moon. The harvest moon is the last time of the year for us to harvest the last of our crops and prepare ourselves for winter..
October
October is our Cranberry Moon. This is a perfect time of year for harvesting most varieties of cranberries in this region
October/November
October/November this is where the idea of a 13th moon comes in sometimes this moon is more in the summertime but a good portion of the time it will fall between October and November and we identify it as the Falling Leaf Moon.
November
November is the Hunting Moon. This is the time of year where it’s ideal time to trap animals like beaver and to hunt deer.
December
December is “Nikommo” our Gift Giving Moon. During this time we prepare for winter. Winter is known as the time of knowledge so we stay inside and share many stories and pass down histories to one another.
This a special time because it shows that our people are of modern people involved in a lot of the traditional activities of today but we also maintain our traditional ways of life and our culture.
January
January is our Wolf Moon. During this time food is becoming scarce so wolves stay closer to communities in hopes of scavenging scraps and can be heard howling more at this time of year.
February
February is the last our moons, the Snow Moon. This period of the winter is noted to have the heaviest snowfalls historically.
Wuyeekeesuk (good day),
I am the son of Joseph Carter III and Nancy Bonin. I am of Pequot, Narragansett, African American and Irish decent. I am happily married to my best friend, we have four beautiful amazing children and recently received the precious gift of our first granddaughter. I am currently the Executive Director of our Tribal community’s very own Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center. I am head over heels in love with the traditional art of wampum. I really enjoy the conversations around its traditional use, the Pequot’s relationship to the ocean and to address the perpetuated fallacy that wampum traditionally was money. I was fortunate enough to establish a strong relationship with the most talented wampum maker known in modern times, Allen Hazard (Narragansett). I am forever indebted to him for his gifts of wisdom and patience that transcends wampum making. I will continue to honor my ancestors, Allen and my family by teaching all those in my community who would like to learn. I feel blessed to carry on this most beautiful ancient tradition.
Kutaputush (I thank you),
Joshua “eye of the hawk” Carter
Traditional singer, dancer, speaker and carver, Jonathan Perry is grounded in the traditions of his ocean-going ancestors. He considers designs by examining the raw materials closely, and draws his images from the grain, hues, and patina of wood, stone and copper. Jonathan enjoys using the materials and knowledge handed down from his ancestors to express his understanding of the natural world as well as the changes over time since Creation. His mentors, like the late Nanepashemet (Tony Pollard) of the Wampanoag Nation, have taught him to observe and take special care when handling these materials, and breathing life into his pieces of art. Jonathan’s work embodies the refined quality of those of his ancestors, while still drawing upon his experience in a contemporary society. His pieces reflect balance within the Natural World, incorporating stories, effigies, and symbology of Wampanoag traditions.
Jonathan is influenced by his ancestors and his time spent on the ocean, something very close to him, being from an island Native community. Jonathan continues to use the materials and knowledge handed down from his ancestors to express his understanding of the Natural World and the change that it has experienced in the past four hundred years. Jonathan’s three dimensional artwork ranges in size from large, hand-carved dugout ocean vessels, to stone effigy pipes and high-end copper jewelry.
Jonathan is a direct descendant of the prominent Cuffe family out of Westport, and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. His relative, the notable Captain Paul Cuffe (1759-1817), was an abolitionist, businessman, and one of the most successful people of color in the United States. Paul would not have had the impact he did without the support of his Wampanoag family and community. The Cuffes, Wainers, and many subsequent Wampanoag whaling captains participatory in the New England Whaling industry in Jonathan’s family have helped to provide him with a unique eye for 19th century art, Indigenous history, and perspective. He brings this connection and expertise to his scrimshaw and his consultation with many historical organizations, scholars, and filmmakers.
An articulate and thoughtful speaker, Jonathan has lectured on the topics of Eastern Woodland art and traditions for over 25 years at both regional and national venues and his performing arts career has spanned over 30 years. These venues have included the Peabody Essex Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Harvard College and Brown University.
In his personal time, Jonathan enjoys spending time with his family and participating in cultural activities in the Native community. He particularly likes to collaborate with his sister, Elizabeth James-Perry on artwork, research and exhibitions.
Dawn Spears (Narragansett) is the Director of the Northeast Indigenous Arts Alliance (NIAA). For more than twenty-five years Dawn has worked to support Indigenous arts as an artist, educator, demonstrator, and organizer. Most recently Dawn produced two of the largest and most significant markets in New England, the Indigenous Fine Arts Market East in 2016 and the inaugural Abbe Museum Indian Market in 2018. She is a 2020 Assets for Artists grantee, a 2015 RI State Council for the Arts (RISCA) Master Apprenticeship grantee and was the Community Artist in Residence at the New Bedford Art Museum in 2021. Dawn has exhibited at the most prestigious Indian art markets across the country including the American Indian Arts Marketplace at the Autry Museum in Glendale, CA, Heard Museum Indian Fair & Market in Phoenix, AZ, and the SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market in Santa Fe, NM. Dawn has served on the board of the Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum and Native Americans in Philanthropy and sits on several advisory’s (Brown University, Yellow Farmhouse, Tomaquag Museum, Abbe Museum’) continues to work consulting regionally and nationally supporting arts programming and business training for artists.
An active member of her tribal community, Dawn served as the Narragansett Indian Tribe’s Tribal Secretary for two terms and currently serves as chair on the Narragansett Indian Tribal Election Committee and vice chair for the Economic Development Commission. In 2014 Dawn and her husband of thirty-eight years formed the Narragansett Food Sovereignty Initiative, a farm-based organization devoted to reclaiming food and cultural ways for Narragansett people. They currently own and operate Ashawaug Farm in Ashaway RI. Dawn also enjoys her role as mother and grandmother. Dawn’s work within her family, community, and in the arts is driven by her belief in the preservation and education of culture and traditions.
Sparrow Jackson is a Native American beader & proud member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Her passion for beading roots from her indigenous culture. As an artisan, Sparrow enjoys creating custom beadwork designs reflective of traditional and modern flair for natives and non-natives throughout Turtle Island and beyond!
Brooke Waldron is a contemporary artist based in Hopkinton Rhode Island whose work focuses on exploring the relationship between color, nature, and a range of traditional symbolism.
Waldron creates large format paintings and ceramic work that are blended with visual language and technical skill.
She aims to bring the viewer closer to the unique power of the natural world and to provide an invitation to contemplate our kinship with it. In each of her works, Waldron speaks to a wider dialogue on the preservation and celebration of cultural values and honoring our four-legged relatives.
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Cherri Williams was born in Mashantucket, Connecticut in 1994 and is a member of the Mashantucket Pequot tribe. Her interest in art began in high school where she was taking art classes. Eventually, she went on to study at St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, North Carolina where she learned how to use digital art resources and hone her skills in fine arts. She graduated with a B.A. in Art in 2016. Cherri works primarily with acrylics and digital painting but has been known to dabble with India inks and watercolors. Cherri currently offers postcards and framed prints in the Mashantucket Pequot Trading Post under her studio name, Mimzical Feesh Studios.
Robin S. Spears, Jr., Narragansett Indian, is an award winning traditional artist utilizing items from the natural world to express his culture and
identity. He uses various resources from the eastern woodland coastallandscape including bark, roots, shells, antler, bone, furs, and other harvested materials. He creates a variety of traditional art including stone, bone, and antler tools, bows & arrows, axes, war clubs, dance staffs, rattles, fans, and traditional clothing. He creates earrings, necklaces, bracelets, hair ties, hair sticks, barrettes, arm bands, leg garters, and other adornment. He also makes baskets, bags, and a cradleboard. Robin has been a mason for over 30 years in his family’s business showcasing the Narragansett art of stone masonry. He recently retired as a Lieutenant of the Narragansett Indian Tribe’s Environmental Police Department. The care of the natural world is important to him culturally, artistically and professionally. He also served in the US Army as a Sergeant and also serves on the Native American Board on Veteran Affairs for USET (United South & Eastern Tribes). He also served on the Charlestown Parks and Rec and ran the teen and men’s basketball league. He was a volunteer fire fighter for the Cross’ Mills Fire Department. He has hunted, fished, gathered and harvested the gifts of the land and waters his whole life. Through his art he uses those resources to express his culture, lifeways of his people, respect for the earth, and his individual expression.
