A Native American tribe is calling out opponents to a traffic roundabout in western Massachusetts for being "misleading."
The Nipmuc Nation of Massachusetts released a statement saying it’s not opposing a roundabout planned for North King Street in Northampton, despite archaeological artifacts found at the site.
The tribe was responding to an online petition created by Greg Skibiski, whose family owned land involved in the construction project before it was taken by eminent domain. His father, John Skibiski, has filed a lawsuit against the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
The petition calls for stopping construction and finding a different traffic option, saying that the project will "destroy an incredibly rare and undisturbed ancient village site."
The Nipmuc Nation said there is "no evidence this is a 'village' site, and through archaeology, disturbance has already occured."
MoveOn.org, which hosts the petition on its platform, added a note saying, "MoveOn volunteers reviewed this petition and determined that it either may not reflect MoveOn members' progressive values, or that MoveOn members may disagree about whether to support this petition."
A lawyer for the Skibiskis told MassLive the family objects to losing possession of the artifacts that were found at the site and may be valuable.
The tribe says the petition is “false and misleading” in claiming to be working with the Native American community, since neither the Nipmuc Nation nor another tribe, the Abenakis, were consulted.
Greg Skibiski issued a public apology to the tribe and said he’s been in contact with other Native Americans.
The River Valley Co-op, a grocery store near the site, has been urging its members to sign the petition and oppose the roundabout, which General Manager Rochelle Prunty called a “fancy intersection.”
Urban planners consider roundabouts a way to improve traffic safety. The project would also create sidewalks for pedestrians to reach the grocery store.
Prunty acknowledged the River Valley Co-op has long opposed the roundabout construction for economic reasons since it would cause “a lot of disruption,” but she said the store’s involvement in the petition comes entirely from a desire for historical preservation.
When asked about the Nipmuc Nation’s objections to the petition — and the tribe’s statement that it is not calling for any action against the roundabout construction at this time — Prunty replied, “They speak for themselves and I respect that [but] the archaeological site is for everyone.”
State Representative Lindsay Sabadosa, who represents Northampton, declined an interview request Wednesday, writing, "I'm not sure I can add much to this given the litigation."
Earlier in the week, Sabadosa said on Twitter that she and state Senator Jo Comerford had requested meetings and information about the site.
"We will absolutely continue to monitor and to remain involved as this situation unfolds, and will attempt to answer questions as possible given that this is a current legal matter," she tweeted.
