Reader to Reader

To Stockbridge Updates — April 2023

Carole,

This recent mandate from the State Supreme Court, followed by the ACLU's interpretation of the same, should prove interesting. Those who employ incivility, loudness, finger pointing, vulgarity may find themselves isolated, neutered, ignored, given their inability to play well with others. Let's continue to provide an example rather than engage.

Bob Jones

Jones is a member of the Lee Select Board and the SU Editorial Board

To the Editor:

Thank you for all the information that you regularly send to me and others. Greatly appreciated.

Elias Lefferman

Dr. Lefferman,

Thank you for your kind words for SU and a special thank you for your willingness to run for office and serve the Town.

Carole

Dear Carole,

Following a talk at the Mission House this October by a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community in Wisconsin, we looked at the Mohican Miles exhibition of tribal artifacts and picked up a pamphlet titled "Repatriation and You". In the pamphlet we saw images of traditional Mohican baskets that bore a striking resemblance to some "Indian Baskets" that we purchased at Massachusetts auctions in the mid-1970s. Thinking that we would like to gift these baskets back to their rightful owners, we contacted Bonney Hartley, the Tribe's Historic Preservation Manager in Williamstown, MA, and emailed her photographs of our four baskets.

Hartley confirmed that the baskets were representative of the style of the Tribe's work and would be a welcome addition to the collection of tribal artifacts at the Arvid E. Miller Memorial Library Museum on their reservation in Wisconsin. We had a nice visit with Hartley at our home in Interlaken in February and she took the baskets back to Williamstown. There they will be examined through photogrammetry technology at Williams College through a partnership with the Tribe's Cultural Affairs Department. After that they will be brought to the Tribe's Arvid Museum in Wisconsin.

As we know, beginning in the 1800s, the Stockbridge-Munsee Indians were forcibly removed from their homelands in the Berkshires and beyond. Eventually they settled on a reservation in Wisconsin where an active Tribal Community resides to this day. Repatriation is a key focus of the Tribe's current work. In recent years, many cultural artifacts including pipes, moccasins, leggings and pottery have been returned to the Tribe. Some have been received through a governmental process called NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act). But that only applies to artifacts in the collections of federally funded institutions. There is no standardized process to return artifacts that are in the possession of private owners. So we are hopeful that our example might inspire others in our area to consider donating materials back to the Tribe.

Inquiries on possible items of interest are always welcome. Please contact Bonney Hartley at www.preservation@mohican-nsn.gov if you are thinking of repatriating items in your possession.

We are happy to know that our baskets will have a new life with the Tribe where they will be made accessible to all Tribal members and visitors to the Tribe's museum in Wisconsin.

https://www.mohican.com/mt-content/uploads/2023/03/4-1-23_641b673698315.pdf

Sincerely,

Lenore and Paul Sundberg

Lenore and Paul are Stockbridge residents. Lenore is the Line Editor of Stockbridge Updates

Hi Carole,

I hope you don't mind me popping into your inbox. :-) I was recently tip-toeing through your archives trying to catch up on some town meetings (thank you) and I stumbled on something of interest I would love to know a bit more about. Who is Ida Mae?

https://www.stockbridgeupdates.com/vol_iii_no_16_8-15-2022-select_board_meeting_august_11_i_never_would_have_believed_it.html

I thought since you are both a historian and a writer she could either be an actual historical figure or someone you created just to make your point. If she is a historical figure would you mind telling me where I could learn more about her and her exploits? She sounds wry and worthy of note.

It was such a clever post and this character caught my eye so if you have any additional info, I would appreciate your time.

Sincerely,

Esme Murphy

Dear Esme,

Thank you for writing. As a long-time clinician, I observed people, As a retired doctorand writer, I still do. Then to diagnose and treat; now to capture ideal types and just plain types. Ida Mae Garret was very real and very like many politicians then and now.

Best Carole

To the Editor

Our elected officials should do better. On March 21st, the Planning Board resumed a public hearing to consider two proposed bylaws submitted by our town's Selectboard Chair. One dealt with Accessory Dwelling Units.

If one takes the time to view the meeting on CTSB TV, they will hear the Selectboard Chairman respond emphatically to a planning board member's comment that his ADU proposal "seems discriminatory against second homeowners" with the comment that "The purpose is not to be fair."

Additionally, the conduct by the chair of the Planning Board, controlling the meeting was certainly not in keeping with the intent of the Norman Rockwell portrait hanging above and behind the board members in that room. Several speakers were very rudely cut off and not allowed to continue speaking regarding the ADU bylaw being proposed. Some members of the planning board also were cut off and not allowed to continue speaking.

When "fairness" is not the overall objective, supported by terse comments while cutting off speakers, it does not reflect well on the behavior of our elected town officials. Nor does the bold promotion of legal language openly intended to be discriminatory and divisive.

Stockbridge is better than this — or at least it used to be.

Jim Balfanz

Please note that I write as a private citizen and not as a member of any town board or committee.

Editor's note: For the benefit of the readers, here are the obligations incumbent upon the Chair and the attendees during public meetings/hearings according to Mass General Law:

1. "The Chair (or Town Counsel if present) should establish ground rules, informing those present that: testimony will be limited to the issues directly related to the subject matter of the hearing; only one person will be permitted to speak at a time; all discussion will go through the Chair; argument between parties will not be permitted."
2. "No person shall address a meeting of a public body without permission of the chair, and all persons shall, at the request of the chair, be silent."
3. Due to the recent MA Supreme Court decision, the words — "all parties will be expected to conduct themselves civilly" were removed from #1. The "civility decision" does not eliminate the other rules and responsibilities cited above.

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