Native Origins

In an article on Massachusetts Peace Action, David Detmold wrote an article about the state flag that includes the image below. It is clear from this analysis, just how deeply embedded violence and colonialism are to the culture of Massachusetts, particularly with regard to the attitude toward Native Americans. The piecing together of the "ideal" Native American in the center stuck out to me as particularly heinous.

I would memorialize the first occupants of Cambridge with an interactive memorial site. I would take a large section of the Boston Common and outline it with a boundary of inlaid stones. Some of these stones would bear the names of Native Americans known to have lost their lives at the hands of settlers or sickness brought by settlers, but many would be left blank in honor of those whose names aren’t known. There would be a sign inviting those who wish to enter the memorial section to remove their shoes (an ancient symbol of respect, as well as to connect with the earth) and to be silent, reflecting on the lives lost and those erased by the narrative of “lasts.” The type of grass would be native to the area and allowed to grow long. Flowers native to the area would spring up and so would trees. People could walk and reflect. I would want the space to not just be one of sadness and remembrance, but also defiance: a reminder for Natives who walk in the space that they, like this patch of land, still remain.