By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
In recognition of Walpole’s 300th anniversary, the Friends of the Walpole Public Library (WPL) have teamed up with the Walpole Historical Society to plan a year-long series of amazing presentations centered around the town’s rich history. To start off this series, citizen of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe, Linda Coombs, presented at the WPL on the indigenous people of Eastern Massachusetts and the Walpole area.
Walpole citizens packed the WPL on Tuesday, February 27th to hear Linda present on this important and vast topic. Throughout her presentation, she discussed the traditional life of the indigenous people before European settlement, the changes that were brought on by this settlement and colonization, the tribal presence seen today, and the continuance of their culture.
Before entering this discussion, attendees were able to read a little bit about Linda on the posters hung up around the library. They stated, “Linda Coombs is a citizen of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe on Martha’s Vineyard and has lived in Mashpee for 45 years. Her career has been in museum work and history, which began in 1974 at the Boston Children’s Museum for a total of 11 years. Also 30 years in the Wampanoag Indigenous Program at Plimoth Plantation [now known as Plimouth Pawtucket Museums], and 9 years at the Aquinnah Cultural Center. Whether through exhibits, writing and analysis of the written word, interpreting, or teaching, her goal continues to be the communication of accurate and appropriate representation of the history, cultures, and people of the Wampanoag and other indigenous nations.”
Within her conversation, Linda additionally discussed her children’s book “Colonization and the Wampanoag Story (Race to the Truth)”. This book, tied in together with her presentation, represents the true history about how America began.
“My editors wanted to bring up the story,” Linda stated, “and they just did not get my concept at all but it seems to be okay because I’ve had nothing but good reviews and good reception of it. I am very happy about that because this is history that people don’t know. The white pages in my book are based on research and I documented it and I talk about it within each one of the sections.”
Due to the fact that this is history that many people do not know of, Linda further explained that she absolutely loves working with teachers. By doing so, this story and truthful history is finally able to be shared properly within the classroom, ultimately spreading by word of mouth.
This is furthermore why Linda loves to do these types of presentations and not only talk about the history of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe, but also tie in the town she is speaking in. For all in attendance, whether knowing a little about the history or not, everyone was able to walk away with a new found knowledge and appreciation for the land and the Wampanoag people.
For more information about the upcoming 300th anniversary presentations series and/or Linda’s children book, please visit the WPL’s website at www.walpolelibrary.org.
