How stories preserve the Mohegan way of life with Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel

By Chloe Wynne,

Published October 14, 2024 at 7:15 AM EDT

Chief Many Hearts Dr. Lynn Malerba and Medicine Woman Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel (right) of the Mohegan Tribe drape a custom Mohegan Pendleton blanket over Dartmouth College President Philip J. Hanlon during a repatriation ceremony where handwritten papers of 18th century Mohegan scholar Samson Occom were returned to the Mohegan Tribe. — Chief Many Hearts Dr. Lynn Malerba and Medicine Woman Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel (right) drape a custom Mohegan Pendleton blanket over Dartmouth College President Philip J. Hanlon during a repatriation ceremony where handwritten papers of 18th century Mohegan scholar Samson Occom were returned to the Mohegan Tribe. Occom traveled to Europe in the 1760s to raise funds for a school in Connecticut for Native American students — but after he returned, he learned that the funds were instead diverted to founding to a school for white settlers that would later become Dartmouth. Dartmouth experts say the papers contain what is believed to be the earliest example of written Mohegan language.

The Mohegan Tribe—a sovereign and federally recognized Indian tribe in Southeastern Connecticut—has a longstanding belief in the power of storytelling.

This oral tradition is a form of spoken record-keeping. Stories can often capture a deeper and fuller understanding of culture and beliefs than historical texts.

This hour, we talk to Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel, the tribe’s vice chair of the council of elders and tribal historian. Melissa is part of a long line of “culture bearers,” tasked with keeping the traditions of the Mohegan Tribe alive through stories.

GUESTS:

Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel, the Mohegan Tribe’s vice chair of the council of elders and tribal historian

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