MASHPEE NINE And the APOLOGY

I WAS BLESSED TO attend the screening of the film THE MASHPEE NINE, by WAMPANOAG filmmakers Paula Peters and her son Steven Peters. This is a great film and it tells the story of racial police brutality to nine WAMPANOAGS in Mashpee, Massachusetts, and the ensuing wake up to NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS in 1976.
Since this is the tribe that encountered my ANCESTOR at the MAYFLOWER LANDING, 400 years ago yesterday, I have been scouring all the Mayflower 400 sites to find an apology that I could get behind. I couldn’t find one and as the landing day was approaching, I was notably anxious. Where is it? I would think after 400 years certainly the 30-35 thousand estimated descendants might be ready to make one to the 5 thousand estimated descendants of the Wampanoags? So I attended the q and a of this great film and waited. Nervously, I typed my question into the q and a box. No answer. This other guy got his question answered right off the bat...of course and well he used the chat... so I typed it into the chat....Finally they read the question from CAPTAIN BREWSTER....
I started by thanking them for the film, Paula was not there unfortunately, but luckily Steven was, and I also loved the raw quality of the film which he had stated at the intro. Then I asked,”Has there been an apology? As I the 12x grandchild of Reverend Brewster, would like to offer an apology on behalf of my ancestors and myself”. I wish I had taken a screen shot of the way I put it but I was way toooooo nervous. I went on to wish that the landing day be declared a day of apology and eventually amends. Steven was so entirely generous, he was just astounding to me. I’m still in awe of him. He said that he loved this question and he answered that there had NOT been an apology but that he felt that the work that was being done with the film and the Mayflower 400 was perhaps more effective than an apology. I think he is amazing to be this proactive and positive and I can see his point that simply apologizing does not make for transformation, THE AMENDS process takes time but I still see the first step of the apology as so important to healing. It is an impossible thing to apologize in any way for this- the worst of the worst wreckage- the supposed beginning of the United States of America with the complete taking of all tribal practices, peoples and places. But someone has to start. I asked him what we could do to support and he answered urging us to learn as much as we could and share the true stories with others. I totally asked for guidance on all of this from the Great Spirit and I am eternally grateful that I got to begin with this noble being Steven.
Thank you at least 400 times.
““Acknowledging that wrongs have been done is the first part of healing,” Weeden said, “and until wrongs are acknowledged and responsibilities have been taken for those wrongs and injustices, you’re just perpetuating what’s already been done.” ”
