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February 2024 eGamA newsletter about the latest happenings in the Williams-Mystic community, for alumni and friends of the program.
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Indigenous perspectives on coastal stewardship with Nakai Northup
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Last week S'24 met with Nakai Clearwater Northup on the grounds of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, a regular Williams-Mystic field trip site, to learn how some Indigenous communties survive and thrive on the coast. Northup, a member of the Mashantucket Pequot and Narragansett Tribes, serves as the museum's Head of Education and is the founder of Rez Life Outdoors, a company dedicated to amplifying Indigenous viewpoints in hunting, fishing, and wild game cooking. He also serves as Vice Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe's Natural Resource Protection Committee.
Northup shared with us some of the goals the Mashantucket Pequot community is working toward. Even after the devastation of the Pequot War, Pequots continued living in Noank—a vital location for fishing—until pushed out by settlers in the eighteenth century. The Tribe seeks to restore coastal access and reaffirm their stewardship over its waters by strengthening their legal fishing rights. While historically the Tribe has been allowed little input in talks of coastal conservation, Northup noted that government willingness to bring Indigenous people into the decision-making process from the beginning has improved recently.
He also shared how he learned to see the environment, from deer tracks in the snow to the needles on trees, and how he carries on values of reciprocity with the world around him. As we walked the reservation grounds with Northup, he pointed out native flora and their uses and significance in Mashantucket Pequot culture. Every part of trees, berry bushes, and assorted plants carries multifaceted purposes, ranging from sustenance to medicine, dye, and craftsmanship. He also walked us through the 13 moons of the lunar calendar, each connected to the seasonal rhythms of harvesting, hunting, and fishing traditions. We are currently in the aptly-called the Snow Moon of February, and the new year begins in March with the Sugar Moon, named after the maple trees ready to be tapped for sap.
We are incredibly grateful to Nakai for generously sharing his time and knowledge as he showed us around the reservation grounds and offered insights into his perspective as an Indigenous person in southeastern Connecticut.
T≠he Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center is currently closed for renovations, but we hope to visit once it reopens in April. To learn more about the Museum, click here.
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Nakai Northup points out a tree's needles and their uses to the Spring 2024 class.
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A brand new voyage for S'24
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This spring, Williams-Mystic partnered with Sea|mester for our offshore field, sailing out of Antigua on the S/Y Argo and visiting Dominica along the way. This was a brand new experience for us, from the ship and crew to the places and people we met. Read about the experience in our blog posts below!
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All Aboard!The Spring 2024 class begins their sailing expedition aboard the S/Y Argo in Antigua! S’24 shipmate Marvin (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) shares details about his first day on Sea|mester’s blog.
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S’24, the Unelected Prime Minister of Dominica, and a Day Like No OtherSofia, Assistant Professor of Maritime History, writes about snorkeling, native flora and fauna, and local connections.
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I Didn’t Go to a Beach (But That’s Okay)S’24 concludes their adventures aboard the Argo! Shipmate Sam (Wellesley College) reflects on their last days aboard. Plus, rumor has it Grover made an appearance at their swizzle...
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Help us share Williams-Mystic with your community!
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We would love to team up with you to promote Williams-Mystic. Your personal insights as a former Williams-Mystic student make you an invaluable advocate for the transformative experiences we work to provide every semester.
Want to help? Reach out to us at wmadmissions@williams.edu. We have brand new posters and brochures you can hand out, a new website you can point people towards, and an admissions team excited to talk to any students you might think are a good fit!
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Moot court's Moody Beach case heads to the Maine Supreme Court
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More recent alums may remember the Moody Beach case from the moot court exercise in Marine Policy class, in which private landowners and the public have clashed regarding where and how the public can use intertidal land along a Maine beach. The public filed a lawsuit in 2021, arguing that their access rights should expand beyond fishing, fowling, and navigating, as the centuries-old law states.
The Court, referencing the case often debated in Williams-Mystic's moot court, Bell v. Town of Wells, ruled in favor of landowners, restricting access to fishing, fowling, and navigation only. Now, the plaintiffs are appealing this decision to the Maine Supreme Court, continuing the battle for broader public access rights.
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Alumni meetups in the new year
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Thank you to all the alums who have already joined us at an event in 2024! Want to host your own meet-up or swizzle with alumni in your area? Email Amanda Severin (F'01) at aseverin@williams.edu.
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Mystic-area alumni met up in Stonington to visit the Lobster Trap Tree.
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Boston-area alumni got together to see a stage production of Moby Dick by ArtsEmerson, complete with puppets and everyone's favorite white whale.
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We are very excited to introduce Mystic Seaport's "Find Your Sea Story" campaign, centered on the belief that the sea connects us all. The Museum's collections are filled with boats, historical documents, maritime art, and artifacts—each telling a story that in some way connects humans to the sea. Where do you fit into the sea story? Your connection to the sea may be through sailing, immigration, family history, first experiences on the water, or a special moment at Mystic Seaport Museum that may have impacted your life forever. Perhaps it's the first time you saw the sunrise on watch during your offshore voyage, or a connection you made to a community partner on a field seminar.
The following link has begun to be shared with those affiliated with the Seaport, and we would love to see some sea stories from Williams-Mystic alumni coming in! Learn more and submit your story here.
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“Attending Williams-Mystic is like getting a brand new pair of prescription glasse you didn’t realize you needed. The world has never looked so bright.”
— Mel, Fall ‘22
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Jobs, internships, and other opportunities on LinkedIn
In order to share opportunities as they are posted, maritime and alumni-submitted career opportunities will now be featured on our LinkedIn Williams-Mystic Alumni Group. Click here to join if you're not yet a member! We encourage you to share job opportunities with the alumni community directly by posting in the group, but you can also still send opportunities to wmalumni@williams.edu.
Highlights
- Executive Director – Tall Ships America, Newport, RI
- 2024 Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies Fellowship – Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, CT
- Library Director – Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, CT
- Fishery Analyst / Fishery Specialist – New England Fishery Management Council, Newburyport, MA
- Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) – Mystic Aquarium and University of Connecticut Avery Point, Mystic, CT
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