Visit from Cheenulka Pocknett
Posted by Trésor Kayumba
November was Native American Heritage Month. This was a time to learn, support, and celebrate the cultures, traditions, and history of indigenous people. The Unquowa IDEA committee is committed to doing the hard but necessary work of addressing issues of inclusion, diversity, equity, and antiracism. Since we began our partnership, we’ve often sought opportunities to be proactive in our approach, to being action orientated and to not just engage matters of equity in the cerebral sense. To go beyond these intellectual discussions, we seek out mutual partnerships with communities who have been marginalized. To that end, we are proud to have established a partnership with Cheenulka Pocknett and his family. Cheenulka Pocknett hails from the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Located about an hour southeast of Boston, Massachusetts, he enjoys his traditional life of hunting and fishing. Recently, Cheenulka spent the day at our school teaching us about culture through storytelling, song, and dance, along with the history of the Mashpee Wampanoag people and also spent time in the kitchen with our chef’s, explaining traditional recipes and speaking about the healing powers of certain foods. Together, we all enjoyed an indigenous lunch of herb roasted chicken, roasted squash, wild rice and a traditional dish of cornmeal, maple syrup and blueberries served in cornhusks, prepared by Cheenulka himself. We hope that we all find inspiration to learn more about the ways in which local tribal communities are preserving and sharing their cultures for future generations.
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