Larry Spotted Crow Mann is an author and musician belonging to the

Nipmuc The Nipmuc or Nipmuck people are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who historically spoke an Eastern Algonquian language. Their historic territory Nippenet, "the freshwater pond place," is in central Massachusetts and nearby part ...

tribe.

Writing

Larry Spotted Crow Mann's writing career began in his youth when he wrote letters to the government to draw attention to issues the Nipmuc people faced. He has been writing prose and poetry since his teens. He says, “I’m somebody who is dedicated to my culture and tradition, and through that I hope to bring forth the intrinsic connection we all have as human beings. I love to learn new things and from other cultures.” He intends his writing and music to honor traditions and teach uninformed audiences about Nipmuc people and history. Spotted Crow Mann published his first book, a collection of short stories and poetry entitled ''Tales from the Whispering Basket,'' in 2013. In that book, he says, he wanted to acknowledge Nipmuc contributions to the foundations of America and to explore his ability to write in different genres. The stories cover themes of cultural loss, racial differences, and loneliness. Spotted Crow Mann has also contributed news and opinion pieces to

Indian Country Today Media Network ''ICT News'' (formerly known as ''Indian Country Today'') is a daily digital news platform that covers the Indigenous world, including American Indians, Alaska Natives and First Nations. It was founded in 1981 as a weekly print newspaper, ''The ...

Music

As a musician, Spotted Crow Mann is a member of the Quabbin Lake Singers, a group that seeks to honor tribal culture, along with his three sons Anoki, Nantai, and Manixit. Spotted Crow Mann holds the role of Drum Keeper in the group, which requires him to “ensure the Drum is being honored and played in a manner for the particular ceremony taking place.” The Drum is a sacred object in his culture, respected as “the heart beat of Mother Earth” and “allows

hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...

to pray and communicate with the natural elements of the world and beyond.”

Other projects

Larry Spotted Crow Mann has appeared in two documentaries about Native Americans: ''Living In Two Worlds'' and ''First Patriots''. He was also cast in

Chris Eyre Chris Eyre (born 1968), an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, is an American film director and producer who as of 2012 is chairman of the film department at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. Films In 1998, Chris Eyre ...

's PBS documentary series ''

We Shall Remain ''We Shall Remain'' (2009) is a five-part, 7.5-hour documentary series about the history of Native Americans in the United States, from the 17th century into the 20th century. It was a collaborative effort with several different directors, writ ...

''. He has also participated in environmental activism, such as working with the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

in order to protect an indigenous fish local to the Worcester area. He has stated that " heEarth is not something for you to rip apart. It's there for everyone to share and understand." Mann asserts that if Indian culture had progressed on its own without European influence, it would have created more environmentally-friendly technologies than those commonly used today.

Personal life

Spotted Crow Mann lives in

Webster, Massachusetts Webster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,776 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Named after statesman Daniel Webster, the town was founded by indust ...

in Worcester County, a place where his ancestors have lived “since time immemorial.” Mann was born and raised in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

. He explains that growing up there in the 1980s was difficult for him due to his identity as a Native American. Despite his people's history in the area, he felt different and out of place among the other children: “Our people have always been here, but when you’re a kid and there are very few people who can identify with who you are, you actually begin to feel like an outsider on the very Earth your people have been on for thousands of years.”

List of publications

Books

*''Tales from the Whispering Basket.'' 2011. Edited by

Abenaki The Abenaki (Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was predom ...

descendant

Donna Caruso Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian. People *Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name * Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), Ita ...

*''The Mourning Road to Thanksgiving.'' 2015. Published by Wordbranch Publishing. This book was the 2015 Native American Wordcraft Circle of Honors Winner and has also been the best selling novel out of WordBranch Publishing. *''Drumming and Dreaming.'' 2017. CreateSpace.

Articles for Indian Country Today Media Network

*"David Barton's Lies about King Philip's War" *"Native People Are Still Being Misinterpreted and Misunderstood" *"Last Thoughts on Columbus Day—For This Year, at Least" *"Mitt Romney Proves Yet Again Just How Out of Touch He Is"

References

External links

Larry Spotted Crow Mann & The Quabbin Lake Singers
performing and explaining their music.
Tales from the Whispering Basket
Larry Spotted Crow Mann's personal website.
Official Website of the Nipmuc Nation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, Larry Spotted Crow Living people Native American writers Native American musicians People from Webster, Massachusetts Year of birth missing (living people)