How do people occupy land and call it home? Photographer Sandra Matthews and Indigenous activist David Brule of the Nolubeka Project explore the layers of history of the Massachusetts landscape and how, in Sandra’s evocative photographs, it confronts us with past and present. This talk is based on her new book, to which David Brule contributed, Occupying Massachusetts.

Partnership of Historic Bostons Vice-President Sarah Stewart introduced photographer Sandra Matthews and Indigenous activist David Brule of the Nolubeka Project who spoke during the 84-minute on-line presentation.

Sandra began by talking about the location of the Turner’s Falls Massacre in which English settlers attacked and killed roughly 200 multi-tribal Native Americans gathered near modern-day Turners Falls — mostly women, children and elderly. She then talked about some of the locations (pictured above and below) that have been found in the Nipmuc, Wampanoag and Pocumtuk homelands (Click on the map to enlarge)

Indigenous activist David Brule of the Nolubeka Project then described the work that has been done over the past decade to help the tribes involved in the massacre at Turner’s Fall to remember and reconcile their losses and to develop an Indigenous response to commemorate the event.