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Bourne’s burial ground will be excavated

Bourne’s burial ground will be excavated

“I hope this will be the start of a long working relationship with the city, and I hope it will confirm what the oral history of the tribe still tells, but modern times have now been forgotten,” Hoctor said. “It’s an acknowledgment, an acknowledgment of history so we can preserve what’s there and recognize the cultural significance of the site.”

Hoctor and Silva were connected by ancestral DNA even before COVID-19, and after realizing that they were both lawyers who cared deeply about their Native American tribal roots, they decided to help the communities of Plymouth, Bourne and Sandwich understand the current history of the Wampanoag Tribe. .

Although Bering Hill was once considered the center of life for the Wampanoag people, today it is shrouded in trees and largely forgotten, Hoctor and elected board members say. Legend has it that this location along the Herring River was the site of talk of the first colony in Massachusetts between Governor William Bradford and early Indian chiefs took place in the Meeting House founded by Richard Bourne and Thomas Tupper in 1637.

Members of the Herring Pond Tribe posed for a portrait at the tribe’s current meetinghouse.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

In subsequent centuries, the area served as a Fourth of July clam bake, where children ran while their fathers fished and where the small tribe rejoiced as elders told the oral history of their people, Hoctor said.

But in recent years, tribal citizens faced with their communities like efforts to be at the federal level And state recognized could not be implemented. Hoctor said that adoption of article 9 demonstrated what collaboration between tribal members and their municipalities can achieve. Hoctor and other members of the tribe believe that unearthing history at Burying Hill will help residents of Plymouth and the towns of Upper Cape Cod better understand the Native American experience.

“Bourne often takes a backseat to Plymouth when it comes to our Wampanoag history, and I think this will really help us change that and show that our history is intertwined,” said Kathy Fox Alfano, trustee of the Bourne Historical Society. at the October conference. 21 meetings.

Melissa Ferretti, 56, grew up in South Plymouth and remembers how difficult it was as a child to feel the lack of tribal recognition in her community. Today she serves as Chairman of the Herring Pond Tribe and Vice Chairman of the Bourne Select Board.

Today, about 200 people belong to the Herring Pond Tribe, although Ferretti believes there are thousands more scattered throughout the country. She says she faces a lack of federal recognition for the tribe most of the time, but is grateful to Bourne for supporting their local interests.

According to Ferretti, when the elders led the tribe, they were too proud to ask for the support they needed to survive. Funds were raised by passing out a hat and participants throwing $20 and $100 bills into it, she said.

Herring Pond Tribal Chairman Melissa Ferretti headed to the tribe’s meetinghouse.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

“We were proud; too proud in many ways,” she said. “We didn’t ask for help that we could have, and we didn’t apply for funding that we probably should have done from the beginning.”

Today Ferretti leads programs dedicated to environmental education and climate change. Her sons are active outdoors, continuing the legacy of hunting, fishing and gathering.

An archaeological investigation is planned to begin in early spring, using ground penetrating radar and other tools to confirm the size of the burials.

“Our ancestors and our deceased play an important role in the work we do every day,” Ferretti said. “If we have ancestors buried on this hill, it would be very important to honor their lives and their place in the tribe.”


Alexa Coultoff can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @alexacoultoff.