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450 Helen Manning (Aquinnah Wampanoag, 1919–2008) Helen Manning was born to a prominent Gay Head family, the Vanderhoops. She spent summers on the island but went to school in Washington dc, where she lived with extended family. Manning continued on in the city through much of her young adulthood, working for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing as well as the Department of Labor. In 1956 she moved permanently back to Gay Head to teach in the community’s one-room schoolhouse, like her mother and grandfather before her. With a master’s degree in education, she also taught special education and reading at the Oak Bluffs School. Manning was beloved as a cook at Manning’s Snack Bar, the restaurant owned by her husband’s family. She was active in civic life, serving on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, the Gay Head selectmen, and the Wampanoag Tribal Council, among many other boards and committees. In her later life Manning was revered as a tribal historian, and in 2000 she published the book Moshup’s Footsteps, from which the following selections are taken. From Moshup’s Footsteps preface Over and over again one hears the comment, “Gay Head is not Gay Head anymore.” I imagine, now that the town’s name has been changed from Gay Head back to its original Wampanoag name, Aquinnah—land under the hill—some will say Aquinnah is not Aquinnah anymore. Yet from my perspective (a Wampanoag woman, born in Aquinnah) this special place will always exist because the Wampanoags, People of the First Light, have woven a spirit-filled fabric using the threads of history, culture, and legends to honor the story of the Wampanoag Nation—past, present, and future. I, and other Wampanoags living on Noepe, land surrounded by bitter waters, or as commonly called, Martha’s Vineyard—hold the common belief that the kind and gentle giant Moshup created the island, taught us how to fish and catch whales, and is a presence in our daily lives. We believe we are the children of Moshup and by holding on to our beliefs and legends we have been able to reclaim our language, gain federal tribal Helen Manning 451 recognition, and reacquire our Common Lands, including the Cranberry Bogs, the Herring Creek, and the face of the Aquinnah Cliffs. memories of aquinnah I was born in Aquinnah on September 24, 1919. My father, Arthur Herbert Vanderhoop, is Wampanoag and my mother, Evelyn Moss, is African American, or as she would say in her day, colored. My father’s mother was Josephine Smalley and his father was Cummings Bray Vanderhoop. His paternal grandmother was Beulah Salisbury and his grandfather was William Adrian Vanderhoop. William Adrian was of Dutch and [Surinamese ] descent and met my great-grandmother here on Noepe when he was traveling up and down the coast on a merchant slave ship. Their meeting in the 1830s, subsequent marriage, and beautiful family of nine children began the Vanderhoops on Noepe. My home has always been near the Aquinnah Cliffs, the most sacred place on the island. I live in a house in the shadow of the lighthouse’s beacon, not far from Moshup’s Den; and, just to be safe, I’d better say that I’m not far from Cheepie’s mischievous ways. (Cheepie is our trickster, so I always acknowledge him or pay the consequences.) As a child, when I looked to the east I saw six small houses and I knew every family living in each house. Now I can see over twenty houses and I still only know who lives in six of them. Growing up, if you were Aquinnah , well, that was synonymous with being a Wampanoag. It meant that your ancestors had lived here continuously for centuries before you. Many non-Wampanoags are not aware that, before the 1600s, Wampanoags , and other Native Peoples of the Eastern Algonquin Nations, were visiting and residing on the island, enjoying its rich hunting and fishing rounds, for over 10,000 years. By the year 2270 bc, we Wampanoags had made Noepe our permanent home. When the English arrived, we lived all over this island. We had inland winter encampments, protected from the fierce nor-easters, and summer villages near fertile lands and good fishing grounds. With the coming of the English in 1642, we lost almost everything, including our land and language. That is how we ended up in Aquinnah, home of Moshup. We first came to Aquinnah to...

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