By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Dr. Christoph Strobel, professor of history at the University of Massachusetts/Lowell, virtually presented his most recent book, “Native Americans of New England,” through the Sherborn Public Library (SPL). This event was sponsored by the Sherborn History Center and Museum and in celebration of Sherborn’s 350th anniversary this year.
Close to 100 people gathered together on Zoom to hear Strobel present on this all-too-overlooked area of history. Throughout his discussion, he did a broad sweep of 12,000 years of history of the indigenous people within New England, including the Sherborn area.
In total, Strobel discussed six different legacies of the indigenous people: Visible Legacies, Intellectual Legacies, Legacies of Colonization and Survival in the Indigenous Northeast, Legacies of Violence and War, Legacies of Colonization and the “Welfare of Indian Children,” and Persisting Legacies and Challenges within the 21st Century.
Within each legacy, he went into great detail as to how indigenous life changed over time, including the highs and lows of their time here in New England. After the pivotal King Philip’s War, those indigenous people who did survive, portrayed much persistence within the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. This included those beginning to work in military service, factories, whaling, agriculture, domestic labor, construction, logging, river driving, tourism trades, canoe making, and more. Strobel specifically stated, “I also want to make clear that the King Philip’s War, as destructive and as horrific as it was, it was not the end of indigenous life in New England.”
Due to these rising jobs for the men of these societies, the male population began to decline more rapidly in relation to the dangerousness of these types of jobs. With that said, Strobel mentioned how the women within these communities played a powerful role and the children ultimately stayed within these communities alongside the women.
Within the 21st century, indigenous people still receive Civil Rights struggles including State and Federal recognition, land ownership, indigenous nationalism, sovereignty, and activism, economic and cultural revitalization, language preservation, and environmental issues. While there is still progress to be made, their voices are being heard and will never be forgotten.
At the end of his presentation, Strobel stressed that while he is a historian within this field, he is still constantly learning new things throughout his research. His hope is to continue to advocate and further teach about the indigenous people so that all may know this important part of New England history.
