The town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians have launched a commission to strengthen their relationship. At the commission's first meeting in late November, tribal leaders said they'd like to collaborate with the town, but they also want to control the narrative about their culture.
Select Board member Patrick White, who co-chairs the commission, said his goal is "to really foster a strengthening of ties and understanding between the Stockbridge-Munsee community and the town of Stockbridge and surrounding areas."
Tribal President Shannon Holsey said she appreciates the chance to expand their relationship and work together on behalf of the Nation and the town.
The tribe's homeland extends across parts of six states, including western Massachusetts from the Housatonic valley east to the Connecticut River valley.
White proposed creating a war memorial honoring both Native and settler Revolutionary War regiments.
He suggested it be completed by July 2026, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the declaration of independence. But Tribal President Shannon Holsey said indigenous communities don't always celebrate that moment in history.
"Still, to this day we share a very complex relationship with the United States government," Holsey said. "Quite honestly, we’ve only been United States citizens — although we’ve always been citizens of our nation — for 100 years."
Some of the commission members talked about celebrating the proposed monument at another date, such as Veterans Day.
White said the commission is a chance to learn from each other about how history is perceived.
The next meeting is scheduled for January 13, 2025.
The tribe and the town's relationship goes back to 1737, when colonial lawmakers established the township of Stockbridge by royal charter, inviting tribal leaders to govern alongside four white settler families.
Over time, the settlers took control of the local government and of tribal land. Dispossessed of their homelands, by the end of the 18th century many tribal members left Massachusetts heading west and then north. Eventually they settled in Wisconsin.
The Stockbridge-Munsee Nation has continued to stay connected with the town, returning from Wisconsin to care for burial sites.
In 2021, the tribe opened an office in downtown Williamstown.
In 2023, the tribe purchased 350 acres of their original homelands, on the north slope of Monument Mountain.
