A Page From North Quabbin History: The Mishoon Project
Published: 04-14-2023 4:15 PM |
By Carla Charter
Among the items on display at the Phillipston Historical Society is a Mishoon, an indigenous dugout canoe, discovered in 1967 by the Athol Frogmen at Queen Lake in about 10 feet of water. Jerry Lozier of Athol was the Frogman who found the dugout canoe.
“I was sport diving at the lake cruising underwater when a pile of rocks loomed in front of me. The rocks covered a good part of the canoe. The rocks were inside and I could make out it was a canoe of some kind.”
Lozier said he returned with the Frogmen, brought up the canoe and stored it in his wife’s grandparents barn. One day his friend Kent Dumas, a teacher in Phillipston, noticed it.
“He said he would like to have it for the historical society so I gave it to him,” Lozier said.
The Phillipston Historical Society is not the only place in the state where Mishoonash (the plural of Mishoon) can be seen. Other sites include the Worcester History Museum, where a Mishoon found at Comet Pond in Hubbardston is on display. The majority of Mishoonish that are on display had been exposed due to drought or fishing lines getting snagged on them, according to Cheryl Stedtler, director of Project Mishoon and a member of the Nipmuc Tribe. Stedtler will be presenting a program on Project Mishoon on April 18 at 7 p.m. for the Phillipston Historical Society.
Project Mishoon had its beginnings in 2000, when a recreational diver found a sunken Mishoon under Lake Quinsigamond.
“It was perfectly preserved, just as its owner left it, underwater,” Stedtler said.
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Those from the Nipmuc Tribe once used Mishoonash to navigate the lake. In 2001, the Hassanamisco Nipmuc Tribe secured a permit with the Massachusetts Underwater Archaeological Resources to protect artifacts under Lake Quinsigamond, and Project Mishoon began.
“The program began in 2001 more than 20 years ago. It is all based on volunteer work and strong coordination with the state,” Stedtler said.
The Mishoonash under Lake Quinsigamond have been preserved and protected under the water where they were found. They were mainly used for navigating and fishing in lakes and ponds. The Narragansett nations built seagoing Mishoonash as well. At the talk Statler will discuss how they ended up in their underwater locations.
Since that first discovery at Lake Quinsigamond, two additional Mishoonash were found there, one predating the King Phillips War. Other non-native artifacts were also found in the lake.
“We coordinate with other groups on these objects,” Stedtler said.
A Mishoon usually took about a week to create and was typically made of chestnut, Stedtler said. The tradition of creating a Mishoon has been revitalized in current times by a network of Indigenous people in Massachusetts organized by Andre Strongbearheart, a member of the Nipmuc tribe. Through that network, three Mishoonash were made last year. One more is under construction and another is planned for this year.
“Nipmucs often used the chestnuts for a Mishoon, but chestnut is no longer available, so they are now made out of white pine,” said Stedler.
Stedtler will present information on the Mishoon, including the history, scientific documentation and underwater imaging. Following the program, which will be held at the Phillipston Fire Station, there will be time for questions and answers. Those attending can visit the Phillipston Historical Society Museum to view the canoe discovered at Queen Lake.
Project Mishoon is presented by the Phillipston Historical Society and supported in part by a grant from the Phillipston Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Carla Charter is a freelance writer from Phillipston. Her writing focuses on the history of the North Quabbin area. Contact her at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net.
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