I am the son of Nancy Bonin and Joseph Carter III, born in South Kingstown Rhode Island. I have four (4) brothers and two (2) sisters. I am fortunate to have married the love of my life and we have been blessed with four (4) beautiful children and two (2) divine grandchildren.
Of the many gifts I have been given, the tradition of wampum has been extra special to me. The relationship that I formed with this ancient art was cultivated by Allen Hazard from the Narragansett Nation. I am humbled to carry this northeastern woodland tradition.
Currently I am the Executive Director of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. Embracing the responsibility of carrying out the Museum’s mission to strengthen Pequot culture to honor and serve our tribal family and friends.

Your moderator for Session 3 – Conserving Waterways: Ocean Resiliency is Michael Kickingbear Johnson, an enrolled member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in Connecticut.  He leads the Tribal Historic Preservation Office for his tribe, monitoring traditional cultural properties, archaeological sites, and provides tribal consultation with federal and state agencies on regulatory policy. In his spare time, Michael is co-host and producer of “Native Opinion,” a current affairs podcast from the Indigenous Perspective.

Dr. Akeia de Barros Gomes is the Director of the Newport Center for Black History at the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House. She was formerly the Vice President for the American Institute of Maritime Studies at Mystic Seaport Museum. She was lead curator of the exhibition Entwined: Freedom, Sovereignty, and the Sea.

As a proud citizen of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (MPTN), Rahiem Eleazer has been working in the environmental sector for MPTN for over five years and currently works as Environmental Liaison for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, where he coordinates environmental efforts within Mashantucket while networking with external organizations, institutions, as well as local, state, and federal agencies to both pursue mutual interests and promote the Tribe’s agenda. His work in Mashantucket also includes grant work with multiple federal agencies, where he constructed MPTN’s climate change vulnerability assessment in 2022. His current work focuses on ecological conservation, climate change resiliency, and incorporating Indigenous philosophy into environmental practices. He serves on multiple committees, boards, and councils including MPTN’s Historical and Cultural Preservation Committee and Natural Resources Protection Committee, the Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed’s Board of Directors, and the Environmental Justice Representative for the Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council.

Maggie Favretti found that growing up in the woods was the best preparation for life. After earning degrees from Yale and Middlebury, Maggie taught cultural history and public policy for over 33 years. Some of the time she even stayed in the classroom—but not much. Maggie earned recognition from three professional historical organizations and the Obama administration for innovations in outdoor education by proving with her students that regenerative farming is the most efficient way of producing quantities of food with elevated nutrition. Food policy and community resilience classes got her sent to Puerto Rico after the double hurricanes Irma and Maria, where she was mentored by people aged 6 to 96 in tapping into the power of community and youth-led problem-solving and systems change, called design circles. Maggie is the author of Learning in the Age of Climate Disasters, which shows how to establish experiential learning systems outside of the classroom that build leadership skills and confidence, as well as the joy that comes from working together with others to meet community challenges. In the spring of 2023, Maggie and a cohort of Tribal and non-Tribal friends founded the Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed.

Hi; I am James "David Firearrow" Walker. I have been learning to make traditional Wampum for about 35 years. By researching the tools used and the artifacts that were made, I recreated the tools and techniques for Wampum making without modern tools.

Z Grabowski grew up in the headwaters of the Pequot river. After over a decade abroad and out of state, he has returned to CT to bring his experience in sustainable urbanism, Indigenous led conservation, and watershed restoration home to restore right relations between society, ecosystems, and the built environment. When not weaving together collaborative efforts at the Alliance and its regional partners, Z enjoys adventures with his daughter Oona, partner Gretchen, and their fluffy companion Zosia. He can be reached at z [at] alliancemrw.org

Allen L. Hazard Sr., Narragansett Nation Elder, 66 years of age, tribal Wampum historian/artist. I have been working with the quahog shell for better than 45 years. The tradition of Wampum from this shell, for the Eastern Nation people, goes back further than the landing of the pilgrims. This tradition I try to display in my work.

I thank my mom (Sarah Helen Fry Hazard) and the Creator for what too often is taken for granted.

Master Wampanoag boat carver, traditional singer, dancer, artisan, leader, and speaker, Jonathan Perry is grounded in the traditions of his ocean-going ancestors. An articulate and thoughtful speaker, Jonathan has lectured on the topics of Eastern Woodland art and traditions for over 25 years at both regional and national venues, and his performing arts career has spanned over 30 years. He has worked with various non-profit and Tribal organizations in exhibit design and cultural consultation based on traditional Wampanoag knowledge, symbolism, and values.

I am a citizen of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and have been the Executive Director of the MA Commission on Indian Affairs for 23 years. I worked for my Tribe for a decade or so and continue to contribute on committees to this day. I also appreciate those opportunities to have worked for the Narragansett and Mashantucket Pequot Tribes.

Lorén M. Spears, enrolled Narragansett Tribal Nation citizen and Executive Director of Tomaquag Museum, holds a Master’s in Education and received a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, in 2017 from the University of Rhode Island and a Doctor of Education, Honoris Causa, from Roger Williams University in 2021. She is an author, artist, and shares her cultural knowledge with the public through museum programs. She has contributed to a variety of publications such as Dawnland Voices: An Anthology of Indigenous Writing of New England; Through Our Eyes: An Indigenous View of Mashapaug Pond; From Slaves to Soldiers: The 1st Rhode Island Regiment in the American Revolution; and Repair: Sustainable Design Futures. Spears co-edited a new edition of A Key into the Language of America by Roger Williams and recently co-authored “As We Have Always Done: Decolonizing the Tomaquag Museum’s Collections Management Policy,” published in Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archive Professionals. Under her leadership, Tomaquag Museum received the Institute of Museum and Library Service's National Medal in 2016, and she has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors.

Michael J. Thomas is a past Tribal Council Chairman and current Elders Council member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe (MPTN) as well as a community-elected current Board Member of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center (MPMRC). Mr. Thomas also belongs to the Eastern Pequot and Narragansett Tribes.

A traditional singer, Mr. Thomas was the leader, and one of four founding members in 1991, of the Native American Music Award-winning and Grammy-nominated traditional Inter-Tribal drum group known as the Mystic River Singers. He currently mentors the traditional singers from several Tribal Communities.

Before being elected, his Tribal government roles included MPTN Environmental Health Director and MPTN Natural Resource Protection Director in the early 1990’s. Mr. Thomas was responsible for the development and oversight of the waste water and water systems that still serve the Tribal Community and its economy today.

Mr. Thomas is a past Chairman of the MPTN Historic & Cultural Preservation Committee and of the Tribe’s Pow-Wow Committee. He has also served upon many Boards of Directors outside of Mashantucket including those for the North American Indigenous Games, CT Public Television, the UConn Foundation, the Native American Fish & Wildlife Society and others.

Stone Thomas is a young Pequot Wampum artist, born and raised in the Dawnlands, who has been making traditional crafts since the age of 10 while attending boarding schools.

He is a retired Police Officer with 30 years of service. He is married to his wife Lyn for 59 years, father of two sons and grandfather to three.

From birth, his mother from St. David’s Island instilled a strong sense of pride in his family, his culture, and heritage. In 2002, he was a founding member and the first Chairman of the St. David's Island Reconnection Committee. That committee has now evolved into the St. David's Islanders and Native Community, which is responsible for educating and reconnecting the people of Bermuda with their Native American ancestry.

He is the author of the book St. David's Island, Bermuda: Its People, History and Culture, which highlights the great accomplishments of St. David’s Islanders.

He has been honored several times by the Bermuda Government and various local organizations for his contributions and service to the Police Service, the Sporting Committee, and the St. David’s Committee as a whole. He has even found time to conduct historical tours and serve on the Human Rights Commission and the Bermuda Heritage Committee.

A member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), Bettina Washtington was born on Noepe (Martha’s Vineyard) and raised in the town of Gay Head/Aquinnah. One of the last students to attend the one- room schoolhouse in her home town, she graduated from high school, leaving the Island to attend college at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (North Adams State College), where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

After working for a number of years in various accounting related positions, she was offered the opportunity to come home and work for her tribe. She began working for the Tribal Historic Preservation Office department in 2006 and in 2008 she was raised to her present position where her main responsibilities are to engage in federal, state and town government-to-government consultation, Section 106 consultations under the National Historic Preservation Act, assist the repatriation officer, issuing permits and collaborating with other tribal representatives. As the tribe’s cultural director for Aquinnah Wampanoag cultural concerns, she is responsible for assuring Aquinnah Wampanoag beliefs and values are represented accurately on tribal lands, the media and surrounding communities, ensuring authenticity and respect for the Aquinnah peoples and their art and culture. 

She divides her time between Aquinnah and Brockton, MA where she resides with her husband, Michael.

As Tribal Historic Preservation Officer and Councilman, Mr. Weeden advocates and speaks up for all beings within our shared environments and the well-being of those environments in his daily activities and within his delegated responsibilities. Mr. Weeden also serves at the Town and County levels on Cape Cod and actively advocates for the environment in those forums as well. The Cape Cod region has many issues affecting Wampanoag lifeways, practices, and customs.