In August 1724, the Abenaki village of Norridgewock was massacred. The first casualty was Chief Bomazeen, shot as he tried to cross the river to warn the village. Others also died as they tried to cross the river to escape. The scalps of a Jesuit priest, Sebastian Rasle, and other victims were brought to Boston. The survivors fled to Canada.
When my family settled Skowhegan 47 years later, they were able to do so because the land was already stolen. Those who had originally called it home were removed with bloodshed.
We claim that Skowhegan’s Indian mascot represents “our history” (“Penobscot Nation ambassador calls on Skowhegan to retire ‘Indians’ nickname,” Nov. 11). As a fifth-generation Mainer and a descendant of one of the founding families of Skowhegan and Madison, I acknowledge that our history in this area was only made possible by the atrocities done to the Native Americans of Maine before we came here.
I am proud to be a Weston and a Mainer, but we cannot celebrate our own history’s by denying others.
Melanie Weston
West Warwick, Rhode Island
(formerly of Madison)
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