Our Past and Our Present: Flying Bird’s Diary and the Mohegan Language
Sunday, November 3, 2024
2-4pm, FREE ADMISSION
Reception at 2pm, film screening at 2:15pm
Congregation Church in South Glastonbury (South Church)
949 Main Street, Glastonbury
Please bring a non-perishable item for the food pantry.
The Glastonbury MLK Community Initiative invites you to a Community Conversation on November 3rd (2-4pm) entitled “Our Past and Our Present: Flying Bird’s Diary and the Mohegan Language” at the Congregation Church in South Glastonbury located at 949 Main Street. This free event will begin with an introduction and discussion of the importance of Indigenous storytelling from Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel, Medicine Woman, Tribal historian, and member of the Council of Elders of the Mohegan Tribe. This will be followed by a screening of the short film Flying Bird’s Diary.
Oral history and storytelling are the foundations of Indigenous culture, and Mohegan oral history begins with the story of creation, when the Great Spirit created the earth. According to the Mohegan Tribe, culture expressed through oral tradition tells a different and deeper story than historic records can. Oral tradition is a selective, yet democratic form of spoken record-keeping. Indigenous cultures pass down their oral traditions through select culture-bearers; these individuals have been trained since a young age to interpret their traditions. However, unlike written record-keepers (whose writing were and are still inaccessible to many), spoken records (when retired) are subject to the correction and refutation of an entire community – whether the members are literate or not. Furthermore, stories passed down through oral tradition are fully understood by the story-keeper, enabling him or her to update archaic language and make the story more intelligible to succeeding generations.
Flying Bird’s Diary tells the story of Fidelia Fielding (1827-1908), who was the last-known speaker of the Mohegan Pequot language. Directed by Madeline Sayet and written by Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel, this film dramatizes the efforts of Fielding to preserve the Mohegan language for later generations.
The Glastonbury MLK Community Initiative’s mission is to increase knowledge about, and understanding of, the philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, and to provide leadership and active engagement to build an inclusive community. We believe that bringing people together to discuss openly and honestly important issues relating to social justice will help build a more inclusive and tolerant community.
We believe – especially in today’s climate – that we must identify common ground between and among citizens rather than continue to exploit differences. In this way, we can foster meaningful relationships and dialogue and forge a better community.
For more information, please contact glastonburyMLKCI@gmail.com.