Recovering Histories of Native Lives and Native Doctors in Western Massachusetts
Sat, Nov 07
|Russell Public Library
On Nov. 7 from 1:30 - 3:30 Dr. Margaret Bruchac will present insights into the lives of colonial-era Indigenous Americans from this area.
Time & Location
Nov 07, 2026, 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Russell Public Library, 162 Main St, Russell, MA 01071, USA
About the Event
Indigenous (Native American) people have lived in western Massachusetts for millennia, situated alongside
rivers called the Woronoco (Westfield) and Kwinitekw (Connecticut), sustained by local flora and fauna, and
supported by reciprocal trade and diplomacy with their Native neighbors. During the mid-1600s, Native
leaders in Agawam (now Springfield), Woronoco (now Westfield), and Nonotuck (now Northampton) allowed
English colonists to establish small settlements. Yet, by the late 1600s, conflict and warfare fractured these
relations and forced many Native people to leave. This talk highlights Native families who stubbornly