NEWBURYPORT — As a fierce wind blew, a small crowd gathered outside City Hall on Friday for a flag-raising ceremony held to celebrate Native American Heritage Month.
The ceremony featured numerous speakers, including members of the Mi’kmaq tribe and the Hassanamisco Nipmuc tribe.
Kristine Malpica of Imagine Studios served as the host for the ceremony, which kicked off at 11 a.m. and was attended by more than a dozen people.
“Today, while our country grapples with many changes and challenges and our democracy is fraught with division and dysfunction, I am grateful to live in this community which celebrates cultural diversity, equity and inclusion,” she said.
Malpica said she and the speakers joining her are working to erase the “twistory” of the region’s Indigenous past.
“This includes our commitment to acknowledging the impacts of colonization, land dispossession, ecological devastation, removal of children to residential schools and foster care, and other forms of cultural genocide, which continue to cause harm and intergenerational trauma,” Malpica said.
Noting the past cannot be changed, she said that does not mean it should be forgotten.
“We can take responsibility today to learn, to unlearn, to stand up for the truth, for democracy, and justice together as we heal, repair and move forward to co-create the more equitable, reciprocal world,” Malpica said.
One of the first speakers was Larry Spotted Crow Mann of the Hassanamisco Nipmuc tribe, who brought a native drum.
“I want to say Happy Native American Heritage Month, and in that way of honor, I want to open up with a prayer in the language of the land,” Mann said.
After the prayer, he said people need a feeling of connection.
“Now more than ever, we need to come together as relatives, as one. We talk about being the heartbeat and recognizing that everything in us, every living thing, has a heartbeat, whether it’s the water, whether it’s birds, animals or creeping things. We’re all connected,” Mann said.
He concluded with a healing song he performed with the drum.
Another speaker was Mi’kmaq tribe member Chickie Red Dawn Imalda Dobson, who expressed her thankfulness to the crowd.
“It’s an honor to be here with all of you,” she said. “You’re all precious, you’re all honorable. Thank you, Mayor Reardon, thank you all. Every one of you. You’ve all contributed to making this a big dream character. You’re all the golden thread that makes it so beautiful.”
She ended her speech with a wolf howl.
Mayor Sean Reardon said he has hosted the event at City Hall each year since he was elected.
“It’s a great follow-up to Indigenous People’s Day down on the waterfront in October,” Reardon said. “I just think like little things like this that we can do to make our community feel more connected, I think those are easy things for me to do, so I’m happy to do it.”
Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: mpetry@northofboston.com.