We have been here. We are here. We will continue to be here. The truth has to be told — unaltered.”

Darius Coombs

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The artist tells the truth  

History repeats itself when no one is looking. The Little Compton Historical Society decided to investigate the past, and as information along with artifacts are uncovered, the pieces of the puzzle of the Sakonnet Wampanoag people are forming a clearer picture. After ten years of work on a project that encompasses this story, the “torch” is being handed over to the people of the land — to tell the true story through their art. 

“For years, we incorrectly interpreted the word Sakonnet to mean ‘the haunt of the wild goose,’ when it probably means either ‘the place that juts out’ or ‘the place where water pours forth,’ and has nothing to do with geese,” said Marjory O’Toole, the executive director of the Little Compton Historical Society. She went on to explain how non-native people created many misconceptions about Native history and culture in the 19th and 20th centuries. “And to be quite honest, it’s really only as we’re entering the 21st century that we are realizing the mistakes organizations like the Historical Society have made in the past,” she said. 

“There is often a misconstrued understanding that they have a magical meaning,” said Brooke Waldron, an artist of Wampanoag and Narragansett descent, in reference to the Canada goose, which she captures in her Blackgoose painting as part of a four-part series titled “Connected.” Waldron, who incorporates animals into much of her art, considers them kindred spirits.

She spoke about her time creating “Attuck the Sentinel,” a sculpture displayed at the site of Awashonks’ Garden — the project the Historical Society has been working on for a decade. “Attuck is really representative of the lessons and the way that deer teach us, to be mindful, to be aware. They exist here in resilience despite nuisance labels placed on them. I really depart from that way of thinking,” she said. 

This perspective lends weight to the indigenous people of this land and sparks reflection on connections to the past. Waldron spoke about how this sculpture, along with the others in the garden, will help uncover the truth that has been hidden for so many years. “I have a long-standing opinion that K-12 education, gallery owners, and museums are seemingly attached to antiquated images of the past. They perpetuate it,” Waldron said.

The sculpture, which took about eight months to build, was made from materials taken from the land. “My aunt and I collected driftwood from all the beaches in Rhode Island after winter storms, when things washed up,” Waldron said. In a way, this allows the descendants of Wampanoag to share their truth with their ties to the land through the natural beauty of it.

Telling the truth through art 

Darius Coombs, who has created more than 50 weeku houses, didn’t hesitate to say yes to O’Toole’s request to have one built for Awashonks’ Garden. “She is proactive and wants to get the story out there,” he said. In the first walkthrough of the location where the outdoor garden was to be placed, outside the Historical Society’s building, Coombs pointed to the central area of the walking path leading through the garden. It will remain open, without the typical mats placed over the top, allowing visitors to sit on seating within, and enjoy the view while immersed in the history of the exhibit. 

“It is important to recognize what people went through in the history of the people of this land,” Coombs said. He spoke about the history of the weeku house, explaining that an 8-year-old girl was known to have lived there after her parents died of disease, but no one knows what happened to her beyond that. The house tells that 8-year-old girl’s story, even if some of it is still unknown (for now).  

“We have been here. We are here. We will continue to be here. The truth has to be told — unaltered,” Coombs said.

Coombs set out on a canoe with a crew of four, waist-high in the swamp water, to gather the cedar for this sculpture. Most of the frame is made with white cedar from the swamps of Dartmouth, another addition of natural beauty taken from the land to tell a story through art. 

The connection to the land and the beauty of the garden and sculptures reflect the history of the Sakonnet Wampanoag people in a natural and beautiful way. “It is important to tell the true history, and it needs to be told in a beautiful place,” said Coombs, who is happy to be a part of the Little Compton Historical Society’s efforts to make this happen, along with numerous others who have contributed to the project, like the local knowledge keepers who dedicated time to collect and tell stories for the books being published along with the exhibit, and the 18 Wampanoag artists who will have their work displayed in the indoor exhibit.  

O’Toole shares the belief that truth-telling about the past is made possible through a collective effort, and she uses a piece from the indoor exhibit to illustrate this idea. “I think it’s really significant that Elizabeth titled it ‘The Friendship Collar,’ because the last 350 years have, at times, been absolutely horrific for the Wampanoag people in this area. Oftentimes, people refer to it as a genocide, and I can't really argue against that,” O’Toole said. 

Learn more about the art featured in the indoor exhibit.

The two exhibits will open on the same day, June 27, at the Little Compton Historical Society, along with the publication of the first two books honoring the history and culture of the Sakonnet Wampanoag people. Tickets to the exhibit preview party can be found on their website.