''The Narragansett Dawn'' was a monthly newspaper that discussed the history, culture and language of the Narragansett tribe. It was produced in 1935 and 1936, with a total of seventeen issues.

Princess Red Wing Princess Red Wing, aka Mary E. (Glasko) Congdon, (March 21, 1896–December 2, 1987) was a Narragansett and Wampanoag elder, historian, folklorist, and museum curator. She was an expert on American Indian history and culture, and she once addressed ...

and Ernest Hazard were the paper's founders and editors. Both were Narragansett tribal members. The newspaper came about because of the Narragansett people's need to retain their history and cultural identity in the wake of the Indian Reorganization Act. In many of the paper's editorials, Princess Red Wing invokes the Narragansett people's pride, often in reply to claims against their ancestry and purity during their

detribalization Detribalization is the process by which persons who belong to a particular Indigenous ethnic identity or community are detached from that identity or community through the deliberate efforts of colonizers and/or the larger effects of colonialis ...

by the state of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

in the 1880s.

History

''The Narragansett Dawn'' began publication on May 1, 1935, and continued until 1936.

Design

Name

The name ''The Narragansett Dawn'' was chosen at a tribal meeting on December 4, 1934. It was said to signify "the awakening after so long and black a night of being civilized."

Slogan and seal

''The Narragansett Dawn'' used the slogan "We Face East" on its cover. Its meaning is broken down as follows: *We: "Every descendant of the Narragansett Tribe of Indians" *Face: "Your Creator" *East: "With the first light, each dawn" The cover also bears the

official seal A seal is a device for making an impression in wax, clay, paper, or some other medium, including an embossment on paper, and is also the impression thus made. The original purpose was to authenticate a document, or to prevent interference with ...

of the Narragansett Indian Tribe.

Sections

Narragansett Tongue *This section contained lessons on common vocabulary, such as the names of animals, plants, and types of buildings, in the

Narragansett language Narragansett is an Algonquian language formerly spoken in most of what is today Rhode Island by the Narragansett people. It was closely related to the other Algonquian languages of southern New England like Massachusett and Mohegan-Pequot. T ...

. There were 13 lessons in all. Genealogy *This section traced the lineage, both paternal and maternal, of significant figures in the Narragansett community. Narragansett Mailbox and Greetings From Friends *This section was similar to a "letter to the editor" section and contained letters written to the newspaper by its readers, both Indian and non-Indian. The letters mostly served to praise the paper or the tribe. Identity *This section described Narragansett items and values that displayed their cultural identity. They appear with varying titles pertaining to their topic, such as "Narragansett Fires" and "Pipe of Peace." Milestones *This section contained small bits of news, such as the announcement of births, deaths, weddings, and notable visits, that occurred in and around the Narragansett reservation in

. Sunrise News *This section was written for each issue by the Keeper of Records and contained information on small, notable things that had taken place in the Narragansett community in each respective month. Poetry *The newspaper published short, original poems by Narragansett writers, often with religious or natural themes. These poems were usually related to the Narragansett tribe or their values and ideas in some way. An excerpt: "All that eye and heart could own / Rich domains to roam at will / When the morning sun went down / See him on his eastern hill" History *These short articles offered a Narragansett perspective on historical events such as the first

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

and

King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...

Contributors

, Editor *Ernest Hazard, Editor *Marion W. Brown, Keeper of Records *Chief Pine Tree, Business Manager/Writer *Theodore Brown, Business Manager *Francis Glasko, Business Manager *Princess Wood Dove *Lone Wolf *Little Bear

References

External links

''The Narragansett Dawn'', 1935-36 archiveNarragansett Indian Tribe official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Narragansett Dawn, The Narragansett, Rhode Island Narragansett tribe Native American history of Rhode Island Native American newspapers Publications disestablished in 1936 Newspapers established in 1935 1935 establishments in Rhode Island 1936 disestablishments in Rhode Island Newspapers published in Rhode Island