Mildred Noble
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Mildred "Millie" Noble (July 13, 1921 – January 19, 2008) was an American writer and Native American activist. Noble helped to found the Boston Indian Council, which is now known as the North American Indian Center of Boston. Noble was the author of ''Sweet Grass: Lives of Contemporary Native Women'', which was published in 1997.


Early life

Mildred Noble was born in northern
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada in 1921. Her parents, Edward Paibomasai and Mary Moore, were members of the Ojibwe Nation. Paibomasai was from the Whitefish Bay First Nation, while Moore was from the Hudson Bay region Ojibwe. Noble was raised by her parents in a
log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a less finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first generation home building by settlers. Eur ...
. Her parents made a living by fishing and
hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
. Noble left northern Canada and moved to Boston, Massachusetts, when she was 18 years old. She stated in numerous interviews that she was looking for "the havoc of city life" after living in the wilderness for so many years. However, her life in Boston was initially not a happy one. Noble's mother died shortly after she moved to Boston. While she did get married, and had three children, the marriage ultimately ended in divorce. Two of Noble's sisters also died from tuberculosis during this same time in her life. Tragedy struck Noble's family again during the 1970s. Her son, Earnest Maxwell Skeene, was killed during the Vietnam War. Her daughter, Donna Walker, died shortly after her son in a fire intentionally set by Walker's husband.


Activism

Noble first became genuinely interested in Native American causes and pride in her
heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physical c ...
during the 1970s. Noble began working at the newly established Boston Indian Council in several different roles beginning in 1972. The Boston Indian Council, which is now known as the North American Indian Center of Boston, was established around this time to provide social services to Native Americans who lived or had recently settled in the
Boston Metropolitan Area Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston (the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England) and its surrounding areas. The region forms the northern ar ...
. These Native Americans included a significant population of Mi'kmaq, who, like Noble, had migrated to Boston from Canada in search of work and opportunities. Noble, as an important member of the Boston Indian Council, was a key figure in the establishment of
Tecumseh House Tecumseh ( ; October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the expansion of the United States onto Native American lands. A persuasive orator, Tecumseh traveled widely, forming a Native American confederacy and ...
. The facility, which is located in Jamaica Plain, was the Boston area's first Native American halfway house and outpatient center. Noble was almost 60 years old when she began working on her bachelor's degree. She was accepted as a student to the College of Advancing Studies at
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
, where she took night courses under the guidance of Rev. James Woods, SJ Woods encouraged Noble to turn her stories into written works, including books. She graduated from Boston College in 1987. She began writing her most well known work, ''Sweet Grass: Lives of Contemporary Native Women'', the same year that she graduated. The book was published in 1997. Noble continued her higher education by earning a graduate certificate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Community Fellowship Program in 1989. She visited the
Whitefish River Reserve Whitefish or white fish may refer to: * Whitefish (fisheries term), referring to the flesh of many types of fishes Aquatic life Fish species are * Cape whitefish, ''Pseudobarbus capensis'', a cyprinid * Beluga sturgeon, ''Huso huso'' * Caspi ...
in Ontario, Canada, as part of her graduate studies, where she met many of her extended relatives. At this same time, Noble began forming a close relationship with members of the Wampanoag community in Mashpee. She began producing a
local television The terms local programme, local programming, local content or local television refers to a television program made by a television station or independent television producer for broadcast only within the station's transmission area or television ...
show called ''Wampanoag Women Speak''. Noble retired in the 1990s but continued writing about her life experiences, including a battle with alcoholism. She published a children's book, entitled ''Jason's Story'', in 2003.


Death

Mildred Noble died from complications of
liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...
in Mashpee, Massachusetts, on January 18, 2008. Noble was 86 years old and was survived by her daughter, Carol Mills, four grandsons, three grand daughters and three great grandchildren.


References


External links


The Enterprise: Mildred NobleIndian Country Now: A woman's path from wilderness to MITNorth American Indian Center of Boston official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noble, Mildred 1921 births 2008 deaths Boston College alumni Canadian emigrants to the United States Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Native American activists Native American writers Ojibwe people Writers from Boston 20th-century American women 21st-century American women