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This article is about the nonprofit organization. For 17th-century Native converts to Christianity, see Praying Indians. For 17th-century community, see Praying Indians of Natick.

The Praying Indians of Natick and Ponkapoag is a cultural heritage group that claims descendancy from Praying Indians in Massachusetts, including the Massachusett people, an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands.

While they identify as a Native American tribe, they are unrecognized, meaning they are neither a federally recognized tribe[1] nor a state-recognized tribe.[2]

Nonprofit organizations

The Praying Indians of Natick and Ponkapoag is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established under the name "Praying Indians of Natick Mother Village Ut Ponkapog Kah Peantamoonk Otanash Yeshuatribal Council, Inc." in 1996.[3] They are based in Stoughton, Massachusetts.[3]

Officers

The officers of the Praying Indians of Natick and Ponkapoag are as follows:

  • Rosita Andrews, president
  • Rosita Andrews, treasurer
  • Amber Orlando, clerk
  • Rosita Andrews, assistant clerk.[3]

Shawn V. Silva, also known as StrongMedicine Bear, served as director from 1996 to 2019.[3] Silva is Andrews' son.[4]

Activities

Wedding of StrongMedicine Bear and WarriorWoman at the historic Eliot Church in Natick, Massachusetts, 2015.

Rosita Andrews is a public speaker, who goes by the name Chief Caring Hands.[5] She spoke to the Natick School Committee to retire their Native American mascot.[6] Andrews also officiated the wedding of her son StrongMedicine Bear and WarriorWoman at the historic Eliot Church in Natick, Massachusetts, in 2015.[4]

The Boston Equal Rights League invites representatives of the organization its annual Faneuil Hall commemoration of the Boston Massacre.[6]

The organization hosts an annual powwow at Cochituate State Park.[6]

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ "Indian Entities Recognized by and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs". Indian Affairs Bureau. Federal Register. January 29, 2021. pp. 7554–58. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  2. ^ "State Recognized Tribes". National Conference of State Legislatures. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Praying Indians of Natick Mother Village Ut Ponkapog Kah Peantamoonk Otanash Yeshuatribal Council, Inc". OpenCorporates. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  4. ^ a b Beland, Amanda. "Natick Praying Indians celebrate a wedding for the history books". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  5. ^ Hilleary, Cecily (March 10, 2021). "'Betrayal of the First Order' - Puritan Missionaries Leave Mixed Legacy Among Native Americans". Voice of America. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "Praying Indian history preserved by tribal chief". Bay State Banner. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praying_Indians_of_Natick_and_Ponkapoag