GILL — As the battlefield study of the Great Falls Massacre of 1676 brings about a new phase of community education on the history of King Philip’s War, the Montague Battlefield Grant Advisory Committee is floating ideas on what can be done to better present the Native American perspective.
During last week’s committee meeting, part of the discussion centered around a monument that was erected in 1900 to commemorate the actions of Capt. William Turner during the Great Falls Massacre on May 19, 1676. The monument reads, “Captain William Turner with 145 men suppressed and destroyed over 300 Indians encamped at this place.” The attack is considered to be the major turning point of King Philip’s War.
In the 125 years since this monument was placed, Battlefield Study Project Coordinator and Nolumbeka Project President David Brule said, perspectives have changed.
“Times have changed. Perspectives have certainly changed, and this study has helped change the perspective and add to the various multiple perspectives on this whole issue,” he said of the massacre’s legacy.
Brule noted how at the 1900 ceremony, thousands of people gathered to celebrate the occasion. An article published in September 1900 in the Greenfield Recorder, then called the Gazette and Courier, details the scene at the ceremony and quotes late Congressman George P. Lawrence, who said the battle “was against great savagery” and thanked those who were involved with placing the monument.
Since the Great Falls Massacre, efforts to heal the land have made progress, with the 2004 Reconciliation Ceremony to officially recognize the massacre marking an important turning point. Brule noted residents have indicated their interest in healing that part of the land with something to counterbalance the messaging of the 1900 monument.
“I think, in the interest of time, what we’re going to have to do is to create a subcommittee to find out what that’s going to be, what kind of a monument, what kind of signage and wording would be there,” Brule expressed to the board.
While the history of the attack was largely told by the English, Native perspectives of that day, and the subsequent battle between English and Native forces, have been a focal point for the battlefield study to tell the whole story centuries later. A National Park Service-funded collaboration between the committee, archaeologists with Heritage Consultants, and several tribal consultants has led to a draft final report, decades in the making, on the massacre and subsequent battle between English and Native forces, with a goal to have this battlefield listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Montague Battlefield Grant Advisory Committee discussed ideas for ways to mark the 350 years since the massacre in 2026 by expanding the narrative that is told where the monument to Turner is located. Brule said the committee would like to initially put out a request for proposals to Indigenous communities for ideas.
“Not another plaque,” committee member Tim Blagg said about what an installation should be, emphasizing the importance of viewing accessibility from the roadway. He added that it could be a symbol “that people would see as they go by, and then some sort of brief explanation, if they want to try to brave the traffic and get over there and look at it.”
Liz ColdWind Santana Kiser, councilwoman and elder with the Chaubunagungamaug Band of Nipmuck Indians, recalled the images depicting Native Americans killing Europeans she witnessed in public schools as a member of the Commission on Indian Affairs. In her view, telling the truth of the massacre could involve showing the violence committed by Turner.
“I get very angry because it lied. He didn’t kill 300 Indians. He killed 300 to 400 children, elders and women. That’s what he did. So, how do we tell that?” she said. “Just to know that that lie stands there, and we have to work around that lie, irks me. That’s what I’m feeling.”
Brule expressed his understanding of the frustration Kiser holds, and said the challenge will be how to provide a more accurate depiction moving forward. Discussions are ongoing.