Indian sites could stimulate economy

By ARN ALBERTINI Recorder Staff

Published: Monday, August 04, 2008

TURNERS FALLS -- American Indian tribes want to work with Montague to make the town and region a tourism destination.

Tourism with a focus on preservation of the area's American Indian heritage could provide an economic stimulus to the region, Doug Harris, deputy tribal preservation officer for the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island, told the Board of Selectmen last week.

This American Indian history could be tied into the region's other rich history in areas like industrial history and geology, he said.

The area could become a destination for regional, national and perhaps international tourists, Harris said, adding that there are grants available that could help get the project started.

It's too soon to say exactly what form this project would take, but it could involve tours of significant sites, inviting scholars to visit to discuss the history and maybe even opening an American Indian restaurant, he said.

The fighting here between American Indian tribes and European settlers in the 17th and 18th centuries helped shape what happened in the rest of the colonies as they were settled and eventually became America, Harris said.

'The history here has yet to be given its true significance in American history. We don't want what happened here to be forgotten by the rest of the nation.'

On May 18, 1676, in the midst of King Philip's War between American Indians and Europeans, Capt. William Turner led a group of about 160 local English colonists in a surprise attack on an native camp in the area that is now Turners Falls, killing about 60 warriors and 300 women, children and elderly from the Narragansett, Abenaki, Nipmuck, Wampanoag and Pocumtuck tribes.

The attack was in response to a cattle raid warriors from the village had committed in Hatfield. During their retreat, about 40 of the attackers were killed, including Turner.

Before this attack, the area around Turners Falls had been a frequent gathering place for American Indian tribes who came to take advantage of the fertile fishing grounds.

Besides this history, there are also a series of rock formations in the area that American Indians say have spiritual significance.

Most notably is a site that sits in the path of the proposed expansion of the Turners Falls Airport. The Narragansett and Wampanoag tribes contend that an area containing stones on the site must be protected as it defines an area for ceremonial prayer.

The Federal Aviation Administration hired an archeologist to investigate the claims, who later reported that the rocks were left over from building a rock wall.

Officials of the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C., will make the final determination on the status of the land.

It's possible the stone formations could be part of the tour, provided the sites are adequately protected as part of that viewing, Harris said.

On Monday, Harris invited selectmen to a meeting of the United South and Eastern Tribes Incorporated to talk about collaboration between towns and tribes, in particular around the idea of preservation tourism.

It's a way to continue the commitment the town and the tribes made to work together at the reconciliation ceremony in 2004, he said.

This agreement helped establish a relationship with the town and it, along with the historical significance of the area and with the recent debate about the stones at the airport, led the tribes to approach Montague with tourism idea, Harris said.

But, the tribes are open to talking to anyone who is interested, he said.

Selectmen haven't decided if they'll send someone to the conference, but they seemed open to the idea.

'I think the idea is pretty profound and important for the tribes and also for the area,' said Board of Selectmen Chairman Allen Ross.

'You've obviously been listening to us talk about economic development,' said Selectmen Patricia Allen.

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