From Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com
“I came across this thing while walking in the park near the Roger Williams National Memorial, in Providence. What is it? A memorial to a dead tourist? A Druid astronomical measuring device? A New Age shrine?’’
A friend sent me the answer via the National Park Service. Sorry!
“This cairn, or stone pile, depicts pieces of Narragansett {Tribal Nation} history from pre-contact through today. Built by Narragansett artists associated with the Tomaquag Museum, it expresses the fact that WE ARE STILL HERE. The cairn is at the center with 4 raised stones around it representing the Four Directions. It is a meditative circle, representing Narragansett lives, history, and future which brings us full circle. Sit down and reflect on your own past, present and future and its intersection with the Narragansett people.
“The Narragansett Tribal Nation has lived on these lands since time immemorial. Their ancestors respected all living things and gave thanks to the Creator for the gifts bestowed on them, as do Narragansett people of today. Lynsea Montanari & Robin Spears III, both Narragansett, served as summer arts interns at the memorial for this project. They incorporated their own cultural knowledge with teachings by tribal elders regarding first contact with European settlers, genocide, displacement, assimilative practices, enslavement, continuation of language, ceremony, and other cultural practices. The artists chose to create a cairn as it is a part of the history of all indigenous peoples. There are many historic cairns in the Narragansett landscape.’’
