To address the issues raised by the Cost of Forgetting video on the Once As It Was map, I've requested a meeting with the Commander of Bolling Airforce Base to discuss markers for the Anacostan history of the site.
Check the comments for this entry to see the reply that was sent in mid June!
Check the comments for this entry to see the reply that was sent in mid June!
May 15, 2019
533 4th St. SE
Washington, DC
20003-4222
Captain Jose L. Rodriguez, Commanding
Officer
Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling
20 MacDill Blvd SW
Washington, DC 20032
Dear Captain Rodriquez,
As you may know, the documented history
of the land which Bolling now covers began in 1608 when Captain John
Smith identified it as the tribal land of the Chief of the
Nacotchtank/Anacostan Natives (see link below to article with the
detailed references and telling of the Anacostan story). The remains
of over 100 Natives that were found on the Base in 1937, when it was
being expanded, are also a significant part of that history (T.
D. Stewart & W. R. Wedel, 1937).
Unfortunately, there does not seem to
be any acknowledgement of this Native American history on the Base
(see The Cost of Forgetting video, link below).
I would like to meet with you or your
representative and the base historian to discuss what might be done
to acknowledge these important parts of the history of Bolling.
Best wishes,
Armand Lione, Ph.D., Director
DC Native History Project
Washington, DC
202.487.7092
Links:
“Why
Did the Anacostan Indians Choose to Live on Capitol Hill?”
T.
D. Stewart and W. R. Wedel, "The Finding of Two Ossuaries on the
Site of the Indian Village of
Nacotchtanke
(Anacostia)." Journal of the Washington Academy of
Sciences 27, no. 5
(1937): 213-19.
See
also:
June 19, 2019, this reply was received:
ReplyDeleteDear Mr. Lione,
Thank you for your interest in the Native American history of Washington, D.C. Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling is very aware of the Native American history of our installation, as it is the approximate site of the village of Nacotchtank. We work closely with the District of Columbia Archaeologist - State Historic Preservation Office to identify and protect potential archaeological resources associated with Native Americans to ensure we capture and record this history for generations to come.
M. Fran Kelty
Director Public Affairs, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling
20 MacDill Blvd. SW
Washington DC 20032
Mary.kelty@navy.mil
This response was send 6/24/19:
ReplyDeleteDear Ms Kelty,
Thank you for your reply assuring me of the interest at the Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB) in the Native American history of the Base.
My letter to Captain Rodriques on May 15 asked if there was any acknowledgement of this Native American history on the Base or on the Base website.
Perhaps my sources from outside the Base are incomplete.
The Historical Marker Database lists a marker for Giesboro Park and 8 others within 2 miles of JBAB. None of them mention the Native History of the area.
A search of the JBAB history page doesn't mention the Native history of the Base.
A search of the JBAB website for "Anacostan" or "Nacotchtank" doesn't bring up any citations of those words.
A JBAB website search for Indians brings up a link to the American Indian heritage observance in November – no mention is made of the tribes who lived on the JBAB land or the Piscataway Indians of Maryland.
A search for Piscataway brings up a link discussing the Native history of the Indian Head region of Maryland on the Potomac, about 30 miles south of Washington.
Please let me know and send any links or pictures of public information on the JBAB Native history involving the Anacostans who once lived there. I want to be accurate and fair about where DC's Native history is and is not discussed, and I will be happy to tell what JBAB has done or will do to make this important part of local history available to the people on the Base and the general public!
Sincerely yours,
Armand Lione, Ph.D., Director
DC Native History Project
Washington, DC
202.487.7092
Links:
https://www.historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HM17EN_giesboro-park_Washington-DC.html
https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/ndw/installations/jbab/about/history.html
https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrh/installations/jb_pearl_harbor_hickam/om/training_and_readiness/native-american-indian-heritage-observance.html
https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/ndw/installations/nsa_south_potomac/news/archeological_dig_IH_Apr13.html