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418 Larry Spotted Crow Mann (b. 1967) Larry Spotted Crow Mann serves as the Drum Keeper of the Quabbin Lake Singers , a sacred trust of the Nipmuc Tribe. He travels throughout the United States and Canada to schools, colleges, powwows, and other organizations, sharing his music, culture, and history. Mann appears in several documentaries: We Shall Remain, directed by Chris Eyre for pbs; and Living in Two Worlds: Native American Experiences on the Boston Harbor Islands and First Patriots, both produced by Aaron Cadieux. He advised Margaret Barton on her book New England on Fire and has published his own work in Memescapes: A Journal of Contemporary Literature at Quinsigamond Community College. He is currently completing a novel; the selections below come from his first book, Tales from the Whispering Basket. From “Deal Me In” Early in the last century, in the 1930s, my mother’s family lived in the woods of northeastern Connecticut in an area just shy of the Massachusetts border. The land was rich with wildlife and dotted with clean lakes full of fish. Streams meandered through lush forests without dams or mills. Only narrow footpaths and dirt roads just wide enough for a single, occasional horse-drawn buggy interrupted the old-growth forests. Carved of the heart of the mixed oak, ash, pine, and birch woodlands, and nearly hidden among them, were six cabins clustered within a half square mile of one another. This is where my grandparents, aunts, and uncles farmed, fished, hunted, and otherwise lived off the land. This was their home, as well as the home of our ancestors, since time immemorial. Mother Earth provided everything they needed, so my grandparents rarely had to go into town. These houses weren’t perfect or as good as our ancestors’ longhouses or wetus, but the people did their best with the cabins. For instance, leaky roofs were a problem from time to time, and some of the local critters could get inside and take a meal for themselves. Clean, cold running water was outside at the well near the cornfield. Kerosene lamps provided light, especially needed when walking to the outhouse in the dark of night. Grandma told us that one of the best Larry Spotted Crow Mann 419 memories of their cabin was the stone fireplace. So warm, cozy, and peaceful did she feel that just sitting near its warmth would bring her good medicine. She would snuggle into her quilt for hours, listening to stories from her elders of great mysteries and wondrous happenings, as well as life lessons to guide her. The work was hard but everybody pitched in. They enjoyed life and took care of one another. Because of this they were fearless. No one ever had the need to talk about the Great Depression because their sharing allowed them to survive and the atmosphere around them was that of tenderness and joy. One thing about Indian people is that they know how to have a good time and laugh, even when life is at its toughest. So, once a week, ever since anyone could remember, my grandmother said, the entire family would gather at Uncle Henry’s cabin for the weekly card game. Now, Uncle Henry, like my Great-Grandma, knew how to use herbs, roots, and trees of the forest to cure and heal ailments. He was also connected to the Sprit World and would share stories and songs about our relatives from the past with the help of the family Drum. After Great-Grandma crossed over to the Land of Endless Spirits, they all relied on Uncle Henry for most of the healing. Uncle Henry was tall—over six feet—and his skin was light brown like an autumn oak leaf. He combed his straight black hair back and it reached all the way to his shoulders. He was always smiling and was known as one of the nicest people you could ever meet. That’s probably why the weekly card game was always at his place; he would never say no to it and never yelled at anyone about the mess left behind. Of course, you can’t have a card game without a feast to go with it. Everyone brought a little something. Some of their favorites, depending on the season, were venison stew, succotash, corn on the cob, fiddleheads, baked beans, and corn cake topped with wild berries. And of course there was plenty of bannock bread and coffee to last the people throughout the...

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