Community building through cultural empowerment and advocacy
2001 -2010
A healing fires passed through Massachusetts - subtle in nature yet loud in spiritual impact. They traveled from location to location, on unprotected and protected sacred land with the intention to give medicine, to get medicine, and ultimately share medicine. Being in harmony with the four elements, four directions, four seasons, and the four states of being, rebalances mind, body, and spirit.
The Wampanoag Medicine Fire, organized by Robert Peters, burned for ten years 2001 to 2010. Rain, snow, or shine, this fire burned for four days coinciding with the National Day Of Mourning (Thanksgiving). The land adjacent to NAICOB was one of the last locations in which this fire burned before being sold and developed into property with no indigenous presence.
2013
Robert organized the Menz Wetu Project in Mashpee, where five culture bearers worked with 24 tribal youth to build a 32 foot longhouse.
2017
A maintenance effort was lead to repair the longhouse.
2018
A longhouse gathering was called by Robert Peters to recommence usage.
2020
Robert Peters and Erin Genia bonded over the need for spiritual and culturally relevant spaces for indigenous people in the city. That year they were awarded funding from the Olmstead Now Spatial Justice Fund to build a ceremonial circle in Boston’s Franklin Park. Future phases of this project included building a longhouse, in which both structures would unify the community culturally, spiritually, and educationally. It was hoped to provide necessary exposure to students by getting them out of the classrooms and into nature to learn about indigenous people by indigenous people in the ways we would traditionally teach. Some programming would be open to everyone, while other gatherings would be specifically and privately held for the enrichment of indigenous people.
After the bones of the ceremonial circle were erected, the process came to a halt and construction reversed. This was the foundation for Boston’s Indigenous Public Space Initiative, which was formed to advocate for Indigenous cultural, spiritual, and educational space in Boston to serve Boston’s Indigenous community in public spaces. BIPSI is still holding the funds to reconstruct the circle.
When the time comes to rebuild the ceremonial circle, it will be traditional craftsmen who design and build our circle and a traditional longhouse. By creating cultural and educational spaces in an urban setting, we are maintaining our traditional building methods, and engaging in traditional knowledge sharing and intergenerational connection – which are important skills and values to pass on to the younger generations.