Speaker

Speaker

Frank B. Wamsutta James was a Wampanoag man who lived from 1923-2001. He took the name “Wamsutta” from the eldest son of Sachem Massasoit of the Wampanoag nation in the 1600s. James was born in Aquinnah, Martha's Vineyard, and his parents were Gay Head Indians. He played the trumpet and was the first Native American to graduate from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1948. However, no orchestra in the country would hire him because he was Native American, so he became a music teacher in the Cape Cod public schools. James was a Native American activist throughout his life in roles on the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs, United American Indians of New England (UAINE), the Federated Eastern Indian League, and Operation Mainstream. James had several other talents in addition to music, including painting, music, model ship-making, drafting, building, fishing, and sailing. After his speech was delivered in 1970, Native people went every year to commemorate the Indigenous Day of Mourning on the Thanksgiving holiday in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The purpose of the speech was to explain how the Wampanoags were mistreated historically and how the Europeans’ Thanksgiving tradition neglected to tell a balanced story. The purpose of the event was to bring together Native Americans and rally them to protest centuries of mistreatment.

James publicized the Wampanoag struggle and shined a light on the true Thanksgiving story. The National Day of Mourning has become an annual tradition at Cole’s Hill in Plymouth as a way for Native Americans to remember and mourn their ancestors. In addition, UAINE has worked to abolish Columbus Day and rename it Indigenous People’s Day, as well as to bring together Natives from across the country to protest and fight for their rights. James was one of the first Native Americans to speak up about how the Wampanoag people were mistreated throughout American history.