Named after | Natick, Massachusetts, Ponkapoag praying town |
---|---|
Founded at | Stoughton, Massachusetts |
Type | Nonprofit |
Registration no. | 000551105 |
Legal status | nonprofit |
Purpose | Cultural, Ethnic Awareness |
Location | |
Membership (2021) | 60 |
President | Rosita Andrews |
Website | natickprayingindians |
The Praying Indians of Natick and Ponkapoag is a cultural heritage group that claims descendancy from Praying Indians in Massachusetts, including the Massachusett people, an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands.
While they identify as a Native American tribe, they are unrecognized, meaning they are neither a federally recognized tribe[1] nor a state-recognized tribe.[2]
The Praying Indians of Natick and Ponkapoag is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established under the name "Praying Indians of Natick Mother Village Ut Ponkapog Kah Peantamoonk Otanash Yeshuatribal Council, Inc." in 1996.[3] They are based in Stoughton, Massachusetts.[3]
The officers of the Praying Indians of Natick and Ponkapoag are as follows:
Shawn V. Silva, also known as StrongMedicine Bear, served as director from 1996 to 2019.[3] Silva is Andrews' son.[4]
Rosita Andrews is a public speaker, who goes by the name Chief Caring Hands.[5] She spoke to the Natick School Committee to retire their Native American mascot.[6] Andrews also officiated the wedding of her son StrongMedicine Bear and WarriorWoman at the historic Eliot Church in Natick, Massachusetts, in 2015.[4]
The Boston Equal Rights League invites representatives of the organization its annual Faneuil Hall commemoration of the Boston Massacre.[6]
The organization hosts an annual powwow at Cochituate State Park.[6]