Mohawk Trail Regional School honors life of Indigenous rights activist

BUCKLAND — Mohawk Trail Regional School is now home to a painting of a Pequot writer, minister and Indigenous rights activist following a dedication in the school’s library.

The painting of William Apess, born in Colrain in 1798, was created by artist Deborah Spears Moorehead, of the Seaconke and Pokanoket Wampanoag. Accompanying her in a ceremony at the library last week reflecting on Apess’ life was author Drew Lopenzina, a professor at Old Dominion University who wrote a book about Apess, “Through an Indian’s Looking-Glass: A Cultural Biography of William Apess, Pequot.”

Apess himself wrote an autobiography of his life, titled “A Son of the Forest,” and Lopenzina said he is “the first Indigenous author … to publish his own book-length manuscripts.” Lopenzina himself is writing a new edition of “A Son of the Forest,” which will feature cover art by Spears Moorehead.

Spears Moorehead said she was “tired of painting what [she] didn’t relate to,” and now she paints historic people. She said she often sits with the subject, tries to feel the emotion of a photo and lets that guide the direction she takes the artwork in.

Despite being born in Colrain, Apess did not stay for long, and moved with his parents to Colchester, Connecticut, just a few months after his birth. From a young age, he worked as an indentured servant before running away at the age of 15 and being conscripted for the War of 1812, despite not being old enough.

“Native people lived in such abject poverty that they couldn’t afford to support their own family,” Lopenzina said.

After returning from the war, Apess moved back to Colrain where his father was living at the time, and built a cottage on what is now Catamount Hill. He became an ordained Methodist minister after being baptized in 1818, and gave his first sermon on Catamount Hill, where the first school building was located.

Apess continued preaching throughout much of his life, and eventually made his way to Mashpee. There, he assisted members of the Mashpee Wampanoag, as the state was denying them a right to self-governance.

Lopenzina described a situation where the Wampanoag people had no control over their own resources, and white settlers didn’t allow them to preach at the Old Indian Meeting House in Mashpee. The building was originally built for the purpose of converting Indigenous peoples to Christianity. This was one of several colonization tactics outlined by Spears Moorehead; others include, but are not limited to, forbidding the use of their own language, the breaking of treaties, relocation and forced assimilation.

The Mashpee Revolt occurred in 1833. While not a physical revolt, it was a series of letters written by Apess and members of the Wampanoag Tribe that upset white settlers. Lopenzina said Apess was jailed for a month after he was indicted for riot.

The Mashpee Revolt was described by Lopenzina as the very first act of civil disobedience. The Wampanoag Tribe eventually reclaimed the meeting house.

“[They] heard preaching in the meeting house like they’d never heard before,” he said.

Apess died in 1839 and is buried in an unmarked grave. The town of Colrain celebrates William Apess Day annually on May 21.

Spears Moorehead said the history of Apess isn’t ancient, and that forms of erasure exist in everyday life. The way to combat this, she said, is to listen to the thoughts of Indigenous people.

“We’re here, we have an opinion … thank you for listening to us today,” Spears Moorehead said to close the presentation.