Biography
Joan Tavares Avant is the granddaughter of respected Mashpee leader Mabel Pocknett Avant (Nokomis). Avant has served three terms as Tribal President, four terms as Tribal Historian, and was the Director of Indian Education in the Mashpee Public School System for 26 years where she developed a Wampanoag curriculum along with teaching and promoting history and cultural awareness to Native parents, students and non-Natives. She has worked with Wampanoag families for over 30 years regarding social issues and has served in the court as a Professional Tribal Elder for family in crises (IQUA). In that latter capacity, she worked to provide guidance and promote cultural awareness to local Wampanoag students and teachers, as well as to provide school day care and tutoring services. She worked with Native and non-Native educators to create a curriculum that highlighted local Wampanoag elders, culture, history, legends, and values. In 1993, the Falmouth Affirmative Action Committee recognized Avant for her work with education. In November 2012 she was featured in the CBS News segmenEducation
Avant received a Bachelor of Arts in human services in 1993 at the age of 53 from thePublications
Avant has had a long career as a columnist for the ''Mashpee Enterprise'', in which she currently writes a column titled "Tales From Granny Squannit," and has also written for the Cape Cod Times. Two of her articles, ''Now, and Always, Wampanaog'' and ''With Intent to Civilize'', have been featured in theThe Tale of Granny Squannit
Granny Squannit is one of the oldest Wampanoag legends. An old medicine woman with long black hair covering the single eye in her forehead, she snatches away children who misbehave, taking them away in her canoe to her cave in Cummaquid to scare them into being good. However, Granny Squannit also has a benevolent side, giving presents to good children and guiding sailors who leave her gifts. Every Halloween, Avant dresses up as Granny and greets (often scaring them in the process) Mashpee children as they walk through the woods. After playing Granny Squannit for adults, children and organizations and keeping her alive through writings for 20 years, Avant was given "Granny Squannit" as her native name from their tribal medicine man. She continues to write articles on Granny Squannit, even having her own column titled "Tales from Granny Squannit" in the Mashpee Enterprise in recent years. She also has a black and white tattoo of Granny Squannit on her right arm.Today
Joan writes, "I am honored to serve as a founding trustee for the WLRP project to open a K-3 immersion charter school in the fall of 2015. It has been my forever passion to not only preserve the culture but to assist making wise pedagogic decisions for our children and families in their own public recognized tribal school".References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avant, Joan Tavares Mashpee Wampanoag people Historians of Native Americans Educators from Massachusetts American women educators University of Massachusetts Boston alumni People from Mashpee, Massachusetts American cookbook writers Women food writers 1940 births Education in Barnstable County, Massachusetts Living people American women historians Native American people from Massachusetts Historians from Massachusetts 20th-century Native Americans 20th-century Native American women 21st-century Native American women Native American women writers 21st-century Native American writers