Quincy promises city-owned building, new statue, curriculum changes to Massachusett Tribe

QUINCY − A new statue to honor the Three Sisters, changes to the history curriculum of Quincy Public Schools and use of a city-owned building at Squaw Rock are among a host of promises made by Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch to the Massachusett Tribe.

Members of the tribe's Neponset band met with city officials for a recent harvest dinner and discussed a partnership between the Natives and current Quincy leadership. In a letter of intent, Quincy agreed to provide the tribe with a building to be used as a cultural center and meeting place, commission a statue of the Three Sisters and "work to incorporate the tribe’s history and legacy into the curriculum of the Quincy Public Schools."

"As we discuss the Quincy 400, it didn't just start 400 years ago. ... We need to tell that history, we need to help preserve that history," Koch said at the dinner on East Squantum Street. "This is the beginning of a process, a partnership if you will. ... Everyone is very excited."

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The agreement comes after years of meetings and discussions between Koch and Faries Gray, chief of the Massachusett Tribe of Ponkapoag. Gray called the agreement a "long time coming," and said city leaders were open to honoring his people from the beginning.

"There is no other city, no other leader that is doing these things. There isn't any," Gray said. "We meet with a lot of leaders, a lot of communities, businesses, schools, and it really is all just words. This is really rare, to meet a mayor that is actually doing something. You don't have to know our exact history to know what happened here."

There are three places of major cultural significance to the Massachusett Tribe in Quincy: Squaw Rock, the Mosswetusset Hummock off East Squantum Street and Passanageset Park near Broad Meadows Marsh. Before the dinner, guests placed a wreath at the hummock, which was the summer home of Chickataubut, the sachem of the Neponset band of the Massachusett people.

As part of the agreement, Quincy will give permanent use of a city-owned building off Moon Island Road at Squaw Rock to the tribe to be used as a meeting place, cultural center and potential exhibit space for historical artifacts.

"We weren't just woodland people, we were also ocean people. And the mayor has said, 'We're going to put you back where you have access to the ocean,'" Gray said. "That is the best gift that anybody could give us, to bring us back to such a powerful place so we can paddle up the Neponset. We have hope. ... I'm just really thankful."

The building is currently home to the Mollie Hirshberg Learning Center, which Koch said the city is working to relocate. In the meantime, the tribe has been given permission to meet in other city buildings.

Koch, who heads the Quincy School Committee, also promised to incorporate Massachusett history into the city's tourism programming and the history curriculum of Quincy Public Schools.

"Just as I don't necessarily care if the kids learn too much about Alexander Hamilton, I want them to learn about John and Abigail Adams," Koch said. "The same thing goes for the tribes. I don't want the kids to be learning about what happened in Colorado, I want them to know what happened in their backyard and be proud of those connections."

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In the agreement, the city vowed to start the process of commissioning a new statue to honor the Three Sisters. Gray described the legend of the Three Sisters as the women who brought corn, beans and squash to the Massachusett people. The three crops are always grown together when planted by Natives.

"It's not just the Three Sisters for planting, it represents how we all need each other," Gray said. "You could plant them separately, but they flourish together. They all need different things, and they don't take from each other."

Mark Carey, media director for the mayor's office, said the statue would likely depict three women, each holding one of the three crops, with an eagle's nest at the top. Carey said the city doesn't know exactly where the statue will go. A request for proposals will be issued to select a sculptor.

When asked why it was time to reach out to the Massachusett Tribe, Koch said it was the "right thing to do."

"I'm proud of the history of our country ... but these people got hurt along the way," he said. "We should honor their legacy."

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Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Quincy promises building, statue, history lessons to Massachusett Tribe