Hosted by the Narragansett Tribe
Rhode Island
July 15, 2018
On June 25–29, Alexis Williams, Angelina Williams, and Selina Ancar (Atakapa-Ishak/Chawasha, Grand Bayou, Louisiana) had the chance to go on an Intertribal Agriculture Council Eastern Native Youth in Food & Agriculture Summit in Rhode Island. The summit was hosted by the Narragansett Indian Tribe. The youth there were friendly and welcoming. They were from Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana. While on our trip we experienced different activities. We went to the forest, farm, ocean and museum.
Alexis Williams, Atakapa-Ishak/Chawasha, reflection
On Tuesday we went to the Narragansett Tribe’s Longhouse. The Longhouse is where they have their Tribal meetings. In the Longhouse, Deborah Clairmont talked to us about careers in conservation. Mr. Cashes is a member of the Narragansett Indian Tribe and he had showed us around. He showed us the Narragansett Elderly Center, where they would feed the elderly daily meals and they would do different types of projects. We walked to the Narragansett Health Center, where people from their Tribe go to for medical attention. The view at the medical center is breathtaking. It was beautiful, we went to the pond and ate lunch, we ate sandwiches and eggrolls. After lunch we went to the Wildlife Center and we did archery. It was my first time doing archery, and the first two tries I couldn’t do it as good as everybody else; but the third try I finally got it! We went to observe and identify plants. After a long day of walking and learning we went back to the Shelter Harbor Inn and ate dinner. I didn’t like the dinner this day, the food was totally different from back home. People from the Narragansett Tribe demonstrated how they get maple syrup. They also let us have a taste with ice cream, I really did like the maple syrup. After we ate and talked, we made a bonfire with roasted marshmallows.
On Wednesday we combined farm and ocean together because of the rain we had on Tuesday. We went to the Narragansett farm; they plant: corn, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, and etc. The weather out in Rhode island is way better and cooler than in Louisiana. It felt very lovely. Then we did this garden planning activity, where they have this elderly couple who needs help with their garden. We went into our groups. My group was on forestry. He showed us how to look for the tree, how to take the diameter, and how to record the data. We ate lunch at the farm, the lunch was great! After lunch, Mr. Cashes showed us hearth cooking. Hearth cooking is food on a stick over a fire in between rocks, and that would be the Indian kitchen. He also showed us the dug-out canoe. The canoe is so big it could fit 10 or more people. After a long day at the farm, we headed to the ocean. We went quahogging. This was one of my favorite things we had done. Quahogging is just going into a pond, chest deep and then dive for clams. We had to do it with competition to see who could catch more. After we caught a basket full, we sent it back to the house, for us to eat for dinner. We had walked to the ocean, it was so nice and peaceful. We went to dinner and they made quahog bread, quahog soup, mostly lots of varieties with quahogs.
Sadly, this is our last day in Rhode Island; this was a rainy day. We, our group, had presented from the day before. We defined ‘smarter’ goals and they showed us how to do resumes. Then a man came in and showed us quahog jewelry. He also gave us a piece of quahog. We took our lunch break, then headed outside for water testing. We treated the water by putting a tablet in there and then shaking the bottle up until you see color. Then you would match it on the PH-scale. We boarded the shuttle to the museum in Connecticut. The museum was huge. It felt so real, like I was really with the Indians back then. We came back to the Inn and it was story-telling time. It was Mr. Cashes’ cousin who told the story. The stories were great and a lot of laughter. Unfortunately, it was time to say our goodbyes to the youths and leaders. It was heartbreaking, I really did not want to come back home. I really appreciate having the chance to go to Rhode Island. This was a trip to remember. Thank you.
Selina Ancar, Atakapa-Ishak/Chawasha, reflection
On June 25, 2018 I had the opportunity to travel to Rhode Island alongside Alexis and Angelina Williams. There I attended the Intertribal Agriculture Council Eastern Native Youth in Food & Agriculture Summit. While there I represented the Atakapa Ishak Chawasha tribe from Grand Bayou, Louisiana. Everyone resided at Shelter Harbor Inn in Westerly, Rhode Island. There I met youth from New York, Maine, Florida, Connecticut, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Rhode Island. TheNarragansett tribe hosted this event and was sponsored by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
On Tuesday, June 26 we were brought to the longhouse where the Narragansett tribe provided information about Careers in Conservation and Careers in the Natural Resource Panel. Also, different youth leaders provided presentations so we would get a better understanding of these careers. We were then given a tour of the reservation. This included a tour of the Narragansett Tribal Health Center and where the tribe provides a meal everyday for their elders. Lunch took place at School House Pond, a very special area to the Narragansett tribe. We identified different types of medicinal and native plants and learned what they are used for. We toured the Wildlife Center and learned about all the different types of ecosystems there are in one community. Archery was by far my favorite activity, I was so happy we were able to do this and I would love to do it again. We received a maple tapping demonstration, then got to taste the fresh maple with vanilla ice cream.
On Wednesday, June 27 we went to the Narragansett farm. There we did a garden planning activity to see what we would want in a garden of our own. We discussed Intro to Conservation & NRCS practices and plan activities. The Narragansett tribe set up a open hearth cooking, dugout canoe, and quahog demonstrations. We then arrived at Westerly town beach and dug up quahogs, some youth even tried them raw, but I couldn’t do it. These quahogs are used for food and the tribes jewelry because of their beautiful shells. They served us clam chowder and clam cakes for dinner and they taste amazing. Storyteller Thawn Harris blessed us with his amazing stories that he shared around the bonfire.
On Thursday, June 28 we stood at the Shelter Harbor Inn and discussed grant writing, defining smarter goals, and how to create the perfect resume. We then traveled to Connecticut to tour the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. As we walked through the museum we saw the history of the Pequot tribe and how their lifestyles changed overtime.
Overall I had a great time at this event and I really learned a lot about the Narragansett tribe and about their culture. Going to events like this makes you really want to get involved with your tribe and others around you. I’m so excited for next years summit. I’m sure it will be a blast just as this one was.
Angelina Williams, Atakapa-Ishak/Chawasha, reflection
Intertribal Agriculture Council Eastern Native Youth in Food & Agriculture was a trip to remember. We had traveled to Rhode Island in June to be a part of this experience, while representing the Atakapa-Ishak/Chawasha Tribe. The Narragansett Tribe hosted, 3 activities such as: being in the forest, farm and ocean.
The first day we went to the Narragansett’s town hall meeting building where Deborah Clairmont talked about ‘Conserving Careers’. We toured the Narragansett Elderly Center, where the people of the Tribe would take care of the elderly people. We also walked to the Narragansett Health Care Center. Then we went to School House Pond to eat lunch and Cashes Jr. talked about when the pond was made, and what kind of marine wildlife was in it. We went to the NRCS Wildlife Center, and identified the plants in the garden. We also did archery, the Eastern Tribes would do archery to catch their food. We learned to hold shoot, and the safety of archery. We watched a maple tapping demonstration. To get maple sap, you have to run a rubber tube down the tree and out the tree. There are different kinds of maple trees, one jar of sap would take about 8 to 12 hours.
The second day, Cashes Jr. and Deborah Clairmont introduced “What it means to conserve plants”. You have to access the location and solve the problems. There are 9 steps to conserving plants. Some common typical planned practices, which are constructing greenhouses, wells, and etc. We also suggested the cows would fertilize the soil for the help of plants. Then Cashes Jr., gave us a tour of their Village. The Narragansett would use wood and tree bark for everything, it would be their main resource. The Narragansett would row in their tree bark mashoon in a 14 mile pond and 10 people would be able to fit in it. To keep warmth and to cook food they would put a fire in the middle. The mashoon would never sink, no matter how much water got in the mashoon, it would only float. In the center of the Village would be a fire known as their ‘kitchen’. They would cook quahogs, fish and chicken. To sleep and keep shelter, the Narragansett men would gather tree bark and build huts for their families. The huts would fit up to 10 to 18 people. They would also put a fire in the hut, just like the mashoon. That was considered the ‘farm’.
As the evening came around, we went to the Westerly Town Pond. The Narragansett Tribe would go quahogging. Quahog is a type of shellfish. You would have to go chest deep in the water and dig for it in the sand. You can make plenty of dishes with quahogs, like chowder, soup, grilled, or you could eat them raw.
Last but not least, the last day. Kelsey Davenport, went through the steps of a request for youth loans. She helped the youth make community and personal goals. She also informed us about grant writings. We also started to plan for a resume. NRCS gave us information about resumes; its called “Writing an Effective Resume”. “Writing an Effective Resume” include, job information, education, work experience, skills and volunteer work. NRCS had put all of the youth in different groups to plan on conserving plants, about our garden; so we had to present that. We also had a quahog jewelry demonstration, where the Narragansett would make jewelry for the women in the Tribe. Then we sampled water to see if it was good for the marine wildlife, food, and land. We drove to Connecticut to visit the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. Cash Sr. gave us a tour of the museum. We also watched a short film of how the Narragansett lived.
To conclude, this trip was definitely a learning experience. I learned a lot about different Tribes. I met awesome youth that were very welcoming. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Thank you for sending us to Rhode Island, and I hope to see many more trips in the future.