Chief Wilcox, Sherry White and Barbara Allen honor Mohican life in Stockbridge

The “Chief” of this headline is not an Indian Chief, but my brother Rick, the Chief of Police in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

As explained in this nice blog post, he has carried on the tradition of staying in touch with the original inhabitants of the town where I grew up.

Our grandmother, as mentioned in the article, was very steeped in the local lore, and had more stories than I could ever remember about the early days of European settlement.

Mohicans and the Berkshires

In this follow-up post, more is told of the history of the Mohicans, and how they left Stockbridge in 1785, driven out by the Europeans who did not comprehend (nor respect) the Indians’ concept of communal property.

Like many Indian tribes, the Stockbridge Munsee were chased from place to place. They ended up in Wisconsin, on a reservation.

It is a truism that history is written by the victors, so there is little awareness of the long history of the Mohicans in the Mahicannituck (Hudson) River Valley and the surrounding area. I’m proud that my brother is doing his part to help keep alive the memories, the history, and “to preserve and care for places important to the people of the Stockbridge Munsee Nation.”