Belonging(s): “A close relationship among a group and personal or public effects”

“Asco wequassinummis, neetompooag” (Hello my friends)!

Hello and welcome to another Belongings Blog! In this post we have a guest writer, a citizen of the Narragansett Indian Tribal Nation, Wanda Hankinson Hopkins (BIO). This post will highlight an Indigenous journal published in 1935 and 1936, The Narragansett Dawn. The intent of the posts is show cultural, social, and family interconnections that exist throughout generations. It is my intent to honor Eastern Woodland relatives who have gone before, those who are present, and those yet to be born.

Is the Sunflower (Nippaüus Pashchou) anyone’s favorite? Roses top the list of favorite flowers with their vibrant colors and alluring scent. However, Sunflowers are a favorite in my family. My sister has one tattooed on her back and two family members carry this as their Indigenous name. Let us take a moment to give this bright yellow beauty, Sunflower, her due (Yes, I think of flowers as feminine) by exploring some ways she expresses herself.

Indigenous Names

In Roger William’s Key to the Language of America it is noted that Narragansett people had no name for stranger. The English and Dutch gave derogatory names to Indigenous people such as savages, pagans, barbarians, and heathens. Williams struggled to interpret language and customs because such names did not properly suit the Indigenous people he came to know. He notes that first and foremost Eastern Woodland Indigenous people name themselves as Nínnuock (belonging to all Natives). One behaves differently when they have a sense of belonging.

A naming ceremony takes place during the time of the Harvest celebration in my community. This is a reflective time when one’s personality and nature is named by a spiritual leader. This “Indian Name” is sacred and is not always shared with everyone. It is rude to ask an Indigenous person what their “Indian Name” is. Our names have been misused so often in literature, advertising, articles, essays and the like, that it is no wonder we wish to keep our names to ourselves. Our Indigenous names tie us to each other, connecting us to our past, present, and future communities. My cousin is participating in the naming ceremony this year and asked me to help think of names for her children. This is a great honor for me, and I am humbled by her request.

The Baby Name. Lone Wolf. The Narragansett Dawn Volume 1 Number 5. Tomaquag Museum Archives.

When my only daughter was born, we gave her the name of her maternal Grandmother. However, her brother pronounced her Indigenous name. There was no naming ceremony preformed. He was amazed by his sister’s birth. He stood staring at her and said, “Her name is Sunflower.” I was amazed because this was the name of my favorite Aunt, Barbara Babcock. My Aunt Barbara’s naming ceremony is recorded in the Narragansett Dawn. I was happy that this name would be carried on by my daughter. The connection was made organically, and this made it special. My daughter also has a special connection with Tribal Elder and Traditional Storyteller, Paulla Dove Jennings. I bet you can you guess what her Indigenous name is.

Sunflower Necklace. Paulla Dove Jennings (Sunflower). Beaded by Red Wing. Tomaquag Museum Collections.

Sunflowers are good pollinators, and their seeds are a healthy snack. A unique quality of Sunflowers is that they detox contaminated soil. They are planted at the sites of nuclear contamination to help clean the soil. The Sunflower is being used as a symbol for standing with Ukraine against an unjust war.

The last few years my garden has not produced much food. My neighbors and coworkers have had the same experience. I have planted Sunflowers as a political statement, and to clean the garden soil in hopes of improving next year’s yield. At times like this I look back to my ancestors for wisdom. The Narragansett Dawn recorded the following instructions for planting:

Sun Chokes (Baby Sunflowers). Tomaquag Museum Archives.

Listen to the Medicine Man

The New of the Moon means the time from the new moon to the full moon and then it grows smaller until its last quarter; this period is called the Dark of the Moon. Plant vegetables that ripen under the ground on the dark of the moon, such as potatoes, beets, carrots, and turnips.

Plant vegetables that ripen above the ground like corn, beans, tomatoes, peas, etc., on the new of the moon.

Do every day what belongs to that day

Medicine Man

Chief Pine Tree has spoken

Chief Pine Tree. ca. 1930s. Tomaquag Museum Archives.

We are all connected, each generation has something to offer the next. The “sunflowers” that I have known come from different generations but have the same unique ability to connect with people. They have amplified emotional intelligence and make excellent mediators. Their gift is to aid people in clear up differences. This fosters reconciliation that keeps relationships healthy. They provide this gift without absorbing any negativity themselves. We need more Sunflowers in this current generation.

Still Here. Mural. Gaia. 32 Custom Meeting House Street, Providence, Rhode Island. Tomaquag Museum Archives.

Chief Sachem Night Hawk said of the Narragansett Dawn, “Let us dedicate this work to the coming generations of the Narragansett Tribe of Indians." A record of Indigenous people names has been conserved in the Narragansett Dawn. This information was preserved for us because these Indigenous authors understood the importance of belonging. This publication is still used to identify the community of Eastern Woodland Indigenous people of the early 1930’s era and their descendants.

Chief Nighthawk. ca. 1930s. Tomaquag Museum Archives.

Watch Assistant Director, Silvermoon LaRose in a Cooking Special for Harvest Johnny Cakes. See recipe below.

Nippaüus Pashchou (Sunflower)

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