Finding A Place Again: Honoring the Mohican Story of Stockbridge

On January 13 at 7 pm join us for the second of three Zoom lectures in our new off-season series Hidden in Plain Sight: Native Peoples and the Struggle to Recover Their History in New England.

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. Join for a discussion of these cultural heritage initiatives presented by Bonney Hartley.

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.

The lecture will be held via Zoom. Registration is required and the Zoom details for the event will be sent to you via email a few days in advance.